Vampire's Kiss (Revamped!)
by DemonRider404
Summary: "Vampires have a certain kind of venom in their fangs which is usually injected in the bloodstream when they bite. If you're bitten on the neck, whether you are turned or if you are poisoned to death depends on whether you have the antivenin in your DNA," Stein told his students. So what happens when the school is attacked by rogue vampires...and Soul is bitten?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Soul Eater, its characters, etc. All rights to Atsushi Okubo.**

 **Chapter 1:**

It was an ordinary, sunny, blistering hot Tuesday in Death City. Maka, her hair neatly in little ash-blonde pigtails and her outfit neat and orderly, walked purposefully down the street, a smile on her face and her arms holding three nicely-sized books to her chest. Her smile melted into a frown as she looked over her shoulder at her partner, who, for unknown reasons, was looking even more disheveled than usual today.

His snowy hair was bent askew under his slightly misplaced headband – which was strange, considering he usually took so much time and effort to place it perfectly. His black Hollister jacket was slung lazily over his right shoulder; his jeans were belted too loosely and hung low on his hips. And to top it all off, it appeared he hadn't tied his left shoe. He trailed sluggishly behind her, his eyes drooping dangerously, drooling ever so slightly.

"Soul-kun," she said, jolting him out of his half-asleep state (and into more of a quarter-asleep state).

"Wha…?" he answered dumbly. Maka scowled.

"What's with you? You look terrible."

"Humph. I'm fine."

"Come on! Look at the state of you! Did you sleep at all?"

Soul didn't answer her. Frustrated, Maka sighed and went back to staring ahead of her. As they began approaching the wide staircase to the DWMA, Maka heard Soul's sleepy drawl behind her.

"No, actually," he said, "I didn't sleep. I was up all night keeping an eye out."

"For…?" _What on Earth would Soul need to watch out for all night?_

Soul let out a low, contemplative hum. Maka, actually a little bit frightened now, stopped and turned to look at her partner. He was actually looking at her now, a spark of knowing and mischief behind the tired screen in his crimson eyes.

"Soul," Maka asked cautiously, "what were you keeping an eye out for?"

"Just something I heard was roaming the streets at night, hunting for a few unprotected young girls…" Soul had a small smirk on his face, and Maka would have thought he was joking were it not for his deadly serious tone. Maka's eyes grew wide and her throat constricted.

"R-rapists?!" she guessed. Soul shook his head.

"Vampires."

There was no sound for a few seconds.

" _MAKAAAAAA CHOP!"_

Soul held his head, crying out in pain.

"What the fuck, Maka?!"

"Soul, you scared me!" she whined. "Now's not the time for your stupid jokes!"

"I wasn't joking! I was right about Sid, wasn't I?!"

"There's no such thing as vampires, and even if there were, we wouldn't find any around here! It's way too sunny for them to walk around."

"Which is why I keep guard at night; duh!" he tapped her on the head. "Lights are on upstairs, but apparently nobody's home!"

Maka glowered at him. "Whatever. I still don't buy your stupid vampire story."

* * *

"Soul, damn it, wake up!" Maka stage-whispered to the white-haired boy next to her. His only response was a groan. She proceeded shaking him, the professor completely oblivious to Maka attempting to rouse her sleeping partner.

"Wh-wh-whaaaat?" Soul complained, finally opening one eye, which he used to glare at her with. Maka glared back.

"He's talking about your silly vampires," she said. He sat up at that, stretching and rubbing one eye.

"Stein?"

"Yup; he says they are very real, he's seen a few, and we get an entire lesson on them today."

Soul looked up at Stein, blinking rapidly and trying to focus on the blurry professor.

"…so obviously, vampires can't walk in the daylight and thus are less of a danger then. Still a good idea to keep your eye out, as they can be very crafty."

A student raised her hand. "I've heard a lot about vampires, but I'm confused; when they bite you, do you die or turn into one of them?"

"Excellent question," Stein answered, "and the answer is…it depends."

He listened amusedly to the stunned, confused silence for a couple of seconds, then went on with his response.

"You see, vampires have a certain kind of venom in their fangs which is usually injected in the bloodstream when they bite. If you happen to be bitten on the neck—as this punctures the carotid artery," he drew a diagram as he spoke, "then the venom will circulate through your bloodstream. Now, whether you are turned or if you are poisoned to death depends largely on your DNA. If you happen to have the natural antivenin in your DNA, you'll be turned into a vampire. If you don't…you die of exposure to poison."

Several more hands raised around the room.

"Isn't there another way to counteract the venom?" a random student asked. The answer was a simple, "No."

"So…you said 'if you happen to be bitten on the neck,'" noted Liz, "so what if you're not? What if you're bitten somewhere else, like your leg?"

"If you are bitten in the leg, then you still have the venom in your bloodstream, but it will circulate fractionally slower. Now, there is only one way to be bitten without dying or becoming a vampire."

Everyone listened closely.

"Mating."

There was an outburst of sound in the classroom.

"So you have to have sex with them?!" yelled one boy.

"Calm down, everyone, calm down," Stein called. When the room was quiet, Stein began again.

"No, Steven, mating in terms of vampires does not mean engaging in sexual intercourse. In fact, sexual interactions between vampires and humans are strictly forbidden, for fear of crossbreeding and other possibly frightening twists of fate. To mate with a vampire means to have them bite into the radial artery—that is, your wrist—and drink from there. For reasons unknown, this causes the human to become immune to the venom and a permanent, unbreakable bond to be formed between them and the vampire. This allows the human to be a constant 'feeder,' supplying the vampire with blood when they need it. Without their daily fix, vampires are known to get vi—"

Suddenly, there came several screams from the classroom across from them. If they were saying anything, it was incoherent. Then, they all heard one single student in the hallway:

" _VAMPI—"_ his warning was cut off and ended with sounds of choking, strangling, and gargling. Stein shot up to a standing position, creeping over to the door and peeking outside. He looked back at the class, half of which had already turned into weapons.

"No," said Stein to these particular students, "vampires are extremely difficult to kill. It requires extreme accuracy, strength, and speed. The best thing to do is attempt to get out of the school and flee to safety. More importantly, to sunlight."

The students needed no more prompting. Soul, suddenly wide awake, took Maka's hand and led her out the other door to the classroom, watching intently for any sign of vampires. Seeing none, he led Maka down the hall, the two of them jogging towards the stairs that would take them down to the front door, and into the sunlight. They were almost to the stairwell when he heard Maka scream. He threw her behind him, grabbing the rapidly advancing female vampire by her cloaked shoulders—so _that's_ how they got into the school in broad daylight; hooded cloaks—and holding her back as much as he could. She was strong. Really strong. Vampire strong. Suddenly, he was slammed against the wall, her slender fingers holding his hair in a death grip.

"M-Maka!" Soul called to his scared-senseless partner, "Get outside! Go!

She shook her head. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

"Maka, damn it, go! Hurry; I-I'll catch up!"

She stood there conflicted. How could she just leave him here? It was their job to protect each other. She couldn't…

" _Damn it, Maka, for once in your life just listen to me! Run!_ "

Finally, reluctantly, and almost too late, she turned and raced away from the scene as fast as her skinny legs would carry her.

Soul turned back to the problem at hand, that being the vampire, only inches from his face, yanking his head painfully to the side. He yelped, still trying to wrestle out of her grip.

" _Foolish boy_ ," she hissed.

And with that, she dipped her head down, Soul still desperately fighting—he would _never_ go down without a fight, he told himself—and sank her fangs into his neck.

Soul screamed, indescribable pain racing through his body for a few seconds, and then all feeling left his body and his world faded into black.

* * *

Maka was getting panicked. She stood outside in the sunlight, surrounded by a throng of frightened students, waiting for Soul to race outside and take her in his arms. Every time another person came rushing out of the building, she got her hopes up that it was Soul, but was disappointed every time to find that it wasn't.

 _It's been half an hour_ , she thought, discreetly checking the watch of the girl next to her. _What the hell is taking him so long?!_

Sounds of battle came through the huge doors, and everyone knew the adults were fighting off the vampires. Maka couldn't help but wonder if Soul…

"Maka-chan!"

Maka turned at her name to see Tsubaki running up, Black*Star slightly ahead of her.

"Where's Soul?" asked Black*Star.

"I-I dunno," Maka stammered, choking back tears. "He t-told me to get outside, a-and that he'd c-c-catch up."

Maka stopped talking; if she tried to speak any further, she'd burst into frightened tears. Kid ran up to them, frantically asking where Liz and Patty were. No-one knew.

"Soul's missing, too," said Maka.

"Jesus, am I the only one that got out with my partner?" Black*Star asked incredulously.

About ten minutes later, Maka was holding herself tightly, tears rolling silently down her face as she looked up at the school. The others were behind her, theorizing about where Liz, Patty, and Soul could be. Maka was bracing herself for the worst when one tall blonde girl ran out of the school, a pistol in her hand. She jogged up to the others, Patty transforming and giving everyone a big hug. The two girls practically crushed their meister, who was too busy hugging them back to care.

"How did you guys get out?!" Black*Star asked excitedly.

"We hid in various supply closets and lockers and kept one person in weapon form at all times," Liz explained breathlessly. "Kinda had to fight our way out of sticky situations every now and then, or it wouldn't have taken very long. Seems vampires can smell human blood."

"I kinda figured."

"Did you guys see Soul?" Maka asked hopefully. Liz and Patty looked at each other cautiously, then back at Maka.

"Yeah…" Liz said anxiously, "yeah, Maka, we did."

"Really?! Where is he?! Is he okay?! He's coming, right?!"

Maka's face looked so hopeful, tears drying on her reddened face, huge green eyes shining with tears and excitement…it just broke Liz's heart to have to tell her.

"Maka…Soul's dead."

Even though the crowd was still buzzing, it seemed like the whole place went silent. Maka's expression registered confusion first, then her eyes went wide, her face paling. She stepped back a couple times, shaking her head, eyes brimming with new tears. Black*Star looked pretty shocked himself, but managed to keep most of his composure. Tsubaki covered her face and started to cry. Black*Star wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back and remaining silent…but the single tear that escaped his eye betrayed the despair he was really feeling. Kid only bowed his head and closed his eyes, as if praying for the scythe.

"No…" Maka murmured faintly, scrubbing tears away. "No, Soul can't be dead!"

"We saw him, Maka," Liz forced out, trying not to cry herself. "We found him lying in the hallway…he…" she choked on tears trying to finish, "he was covered in blood. We checked; there was no pulse."

"No!" Maka yelled, "You're wrong! Soul said he'd catch up! He told me to get out and he'd catch up!"

"Probably because he didn't know if he'd make it out alive!" Liz yelled back, her own eyes leaking, "It was a last-ditch effort to make sure you stayed safe!"

She started to hyperventilate.

" _Maka, damn it, get out! Run!"_

" _I can't leave you!"_

 _It's all my fault it's all my fault it's all my fault…_

Maka broke down completely, sobs violently shaking her small frame and suffocating her. She insisted to herself that her partner was alive and well, but knew, deep down, that he wasn't. And it was all her fault. Liz just kept her hand on Maka's back. She didn't know what else to do.

It seemed like an eternity—though it was really only about ten more minutes—before Stein, Spirit, Sid, and several other teachers came out, blood splattered all over them and solemn expressions on their faces. Stein came to the head of the group.

"Okay, listen up everyone…the vampires are dead, we've made sure of that, but there were…casualties."

He held up a list and began reading. Everyone held their breath, each praying that their partner wasn't called. Stein read off about seven names, each answered with a wail or cry of some sort from the audience, but Soul's name wasn't called. Maka was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Stein continued his speech.

"My condolences to all of you who lost someone today," he said sincerely, "Now, those were just absolute, known-for-sure deaths. There were a few students who were bitten, but we have to wait before we can be sure whether or not they're dead." He looked back at his list. Maka wasn't worried. Soul wasn't dead, he couldn't be, so why should she worry?

"Abigail Moore," came the first name. Then about nine more names of people Maka didn't know. She put a hand over her heart and prepared look for Soul as soon as they were let back inside. While the crowd burst into outrageous noise, no-one noticed a man come up to Sid and tell him something. Sid tapped Stein's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Oh dear…" Stein groaned. Sighing, he quieted the crowd with the announcement that "Two more have been found bitten."

Everyone shut up, except for the few who called, "Who were they, Stein-sensei?"

Stein looked out grimly, locking eyes with Maka.

"Tina Ray and Soul Evans."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Maka, in a fit of hopeless despair, wailed and dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands and trying to choke back the oncoming flood of tears. It was true after all. The others gathered around her, rubbing her back, shushing her soothingly. Maka stood suddenly and wrapped her arms tightly around the nearest person's waist, that being Black*Star, and started sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt. Slightly shocked at Maka suddenly latching onto him, Black*Star remembered back to about a month ago...

 _"Dude, what do you see in her, anyway?" Black*Star asked. Soul, staring off into space, shrugged._

 _"I dunno. But I promised to be there for her. Always." After a short silence, he said, "Black*Star...can I ask a favor of you?"_

 _"Sure, man. What do you need?"_

 _"Look, I...I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've been having nightmares lately...and hearing rumors."_

 _"About...?"_

 _Soul looked down at the ground, hands in his pockets. He kicked a stone across the basketball court._

 _"Well...I've been dreaming about Maka's death a lot lately. Dunno why. And now I'm hearing rumors about...no. You'd laugh."_

 _"Would not!"_

 _Soul sighed, hesitating. "Vampires."_

 _Black*Star looked at his friend incredulously, then, as expected, burst out laughing._

 _"Vampires! Haha! What, you think one of 'em's just gonna burst into your house like, 'Rahh! I have come to drink your blood!" Black*Star put on a fake Dracula accent and pretended to lunge for Soul's neck. Soul growled and backed away._

 _"Black*Star! It isn't funny! Come on."_

 _Black*Star registered the seriousness in Soul's voice and sobered up. Soul sighed._

 _"Just...even if it isn't by vampire, I've been wondering what would happen to Maka if...if I died protecting her. I'm sworn to put her before my own life, you know."_

 _Black*Star nodded. "So what do you need from me?"_

 _"I...look, man, you're my best friend. What would you do if anything ever happened to me?"_

 _The assassin stiffened. "Like...you mean like if you died?"_

 _Soul nodded. "Exactly."_

 _Black*Star looked at the ground. "I...I dunno. You're my best bud, man." He shrugged. "Might just not talk to anyone for a long time and keep to myself until I got over it."_

 _Soul nodded again. "Well...I need you to promise me something. If anything ever does happen to me...if I can't be there for her...I need you to take care of Maka."_

 _"You...want me to take your place?"_

 _"I guess. Just be there for her if I can't."_

 _Black*Star nodded, determined to do anything for his best friend. "Okay."_

Black*Star currently looked down at the crying girl on his chest. He'd promised Soul he'd take care of Maka if anything ever happened to him. He figured, since Soul was pretty much as good as dead, now would be the time to go through with that. And so, remembering Soul's words- _"Be there for her if I can't"—_ he wrapped his arms around the petite girl and let her cry.

* * *

Maka, tears still flowing, walked into the classroom where they were keeping the dead and bitten. Black*Star was close behind her, followed by the girls and Kid. Maka bit her lip gently, looking around for Soul. It wasn't easy, seeing as all the bodies were in body bags, but it didn't take long to notice a poof of shocking white hair from a partially-unzipped bag. She walked bravely up to it and braced herself to see her dead partner. She was a little afraid, but she had to say goodbye to him. She hadn't had a chance before.

She glanced back at the others. _It's not fair,_ she couldn't help but think. _The rest of them survived…how am I the only one to lose someone?_

She slowly unzipped the bag...and stepped back, slightly shocked. He hadn't changed a bit. Except for the two small punctures on the left side of his neck and the blood matted in his hair, there was nothing different about him. His skin was still the same honey color it had been before, his hair still a breathtaking snowy white...someone had the good grace to put his jacket and his thin black headband on him properly. Maka sighed and stroked his hair.

 _It's all my fault…_

"Soul-kun..." she whispered. Not caring that the others were still gathered behind her, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. She sniffled and traced her finger down the left side of his face, letting her finger trail down his neck, his familiar warm skin...

...warm? Puzzled, Maka placed two fingers to the side of his neck.

"Liz..."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say he didn't have a pulse?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then...why..."

Maka gasped as Soul's crimson eyes snapped open and he sat up, grabbing her wrist and biting her hard. Maka screamed in pain as Black*Star yanked her back. Soul was sitting up on the table, Maka's blood dripping from his mouth. Black*Star stared, mortified, at his best friend, whose eyes seemed to almost be glowing. Soul licked the blood off his lower lip, seeming fascinated.

"B-Black*Star!" he heard a terrified Maka cry, "I-I'm bleeding!"

 _Bleeding_ was an understatement in Black*Star's mind; the place where Soul had bitten her was right on her artery, causing blood to pour out, into the palm of her shaking hand, and in between her slender fingers, then dripping onto the hardwood floor. Black*Star glared at Soul, infuriated.

"What the fuck?!"

"What's going on in here?" came Stein's voice as he swept into the room.

"Soul bit Maka!" cried Liz, "He just…I dunno, came back from the dead or something!"

"He bit her hard enough to draw blood," added Kid, looking a little horrified and a little nauseous.

Stein took Maka's bloodied wrist and examined it for a moment.

"How much did he drink?"

"You mean he was trying to drink her blood?!" Black*Star screeched at the same time Maka answered, starting to get dizzy, "I-I-I don't know, he bit me and Black*Star pulled me back…"

"Give him back your wrist."

" _What?!_ " Maka's voice raised about 3 octaves.

Soul reached out and gingerly took her bloody hand.

"I promise this part won't hurt," he soothed her. Everyone stood frozen, unsure of what the hell to do. Maka watched with frightened curiosity as Soul lifted her red-stained hand to his mouth…and dragged his tongue across her palm, taking the deep red liquid into his mouth with what sounded like a satisfied moan. Maka's eyes widened and blushed. Then, she saw something that made everything make sense: the glint of his canines, which still ended in lethal points like the rest of his teeth, but now were slightly more than an inch long.

"Soul…" Maka murmured, "you're…a vampire."

He looked at her and answered with only a contented hum and he latched his mouth onto her wrist, gently sucking the blood out of the wound. The way he looked at her was intense, loving, even a little sexual…it made all kinds of chills run through her body, and she wasn't sure what to feel.

He pulled his mouth from her wrist and licked across the wound. Shaking off the lingering shivers from Soul's gaze, she pulled back her hand. She saw with a shock that the wound was gone; only faint scars of the punctures remained. She looked up at her partner, who was using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the excess blood off his mouth, watched as he ran his tongue across his teeth and fangs. Then, he looked directly into her eyes and she got that strange chilling feeling. They both knew what this meant.

She was officially mated to a freaking vampire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Everybody stared at Soul, Maka still holding her wrist defensively to her chest.

"So…" Maka finally broke the tense silence. "So, what…does this…mean?"

Soul shrugged. "Dunno yet. We've been mated for about 30 seconds, give it time."

Maka scowled through her tears. All of the emotions and confusion she was feeling and he was still being a cocky asshole.

"I can answer that," said Stein before Maka could scold Soul. "Why don't you all sit back and allow me to explain."

Soul threw the body bag off and sat up with his legs dangling over the edge of the desk he'd been laid on. Maka cautiously seated herself next to him, still examining her new scar curiously. Besides Black*Star, who sat cross-legged on the floor, the others all chose to remain standing. Stein grabbed a rolling chair and sat backwards in it.

"See, I was just getting to this when we had our little incident. Being mated to a vampire gives that vampire the ability to hear their human's thoughts, locate them, and feed from them. In some cases, usually with time, they'll have the ability to speak telepathically to the human. The human needs to feed the vampire, preferably from the wrist, daily, or else the vampire will become violent and eventually insane.

"Now, Soul, there are going to be a few changes coming with your transformation."

"I figured…am I immortal now or something?"

"No. You'll probably live for a very long time, probably centuries longer than your friends, but you can still be killed if you are up against a properly skilled fighter. Some things that _will_ change, though: you can't walk in sunlight, firstly."

Soul nodded.

"Secondly, as you may have already noticed, you'll have exponentially heightened senses, better eyesight, sense of smell, hearing, you'll be able to see better in the dark…also, you may develop a better consciousness of your surroundings. You'll have superhuman strength and speed, but you'll still have to work to maintain both. Your survival instincts will be increased tenfold, more so since you're mated. Although you'll most likely outlive Maka, since you're her mate, you'll still have a natural instinct to protect her."

"So…nothing new."

"Well, actually, you're different from most vampires in the sense that they protect their mates because they see them as _property_. You protect her because you actually care about her. Well, I'd hope."

Soul nodded. "Right. So, feed from the wrist, prepare to see a few centuries, look out for sunlight, work out, and keep an eye on myself and Maka, as per usual. Anything else I need to know?"

"Hm…I think I might be forgetting something, but…no, probably not."

* * *

Maka sat in her bedroom. They'd gotten Soul home by shielding him with one of the cloaks they'd scavenged off a dead vampire and transporting him via Stein's car. Maka bit her lip, looking down at her wrist. It was still so strange, referring to Soul as her mate now, rather than her partner.

 _The way they talk about mating…_ she thought, _makes it sound almost like…marriage…or something._

 _Actually, it's not even close to marriage;_ she heard a voice in her head say. She started when she realized the voice was Soul's. She looked over at him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed, and saw him smirking at her.

 _Oh, so this whole telepathic-read-and-speak-into-your-mind thing really does work. Anyway, like I was saying, mating is nothing like marriage. Marriage is weak; it can be broken off easily. This bond is permanent. The only way this bond would break is if one of us dies. So…kind of a literal form of "'til death do us part."_ She heard him chuckle and furrowed her brow.

 _I thought you said it's nothing like marriage…_

He just chuckled, out loud this time.

 _And anyway, that's not what…you know what, never mind._

"I know what you meant," he said out loud, pushing off the door frame and walking up to her. He plopped down on the mattress on his knees and grinned at her, showing a mouthful of shark teeth complete with elongated fangs. "You were worried about the romantic suggestion."

Maka looked away and blushed. Soul, chuckling, wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. She looked over at him, uncertain what to say now. She was visibly tense, and, she felt, with good reason; her partner had just _died._ Her worse nightmare for the years that they had been together, and she had just watched it happen, albeit perhaps indirectly. And now he was a supernatural creature that, despite her many run-ins with various nightmarish creatures, she didn't even believe existed.

Now, he was still his cocky, assured self, business as usual. And she, mortified, traumatized, and confused, still had to figure out where to go next. What to do.

"You scared the hell out of me, you know," she finally murmured.

Soul chuckled at first, but his smile slowly faded as he realized she wasn't laughing. "Oh…yeah…" he let go of her and looked down. "Sorry, I…I didn't mean to go all nuts like that, but…I dunno…"

There was a suffocatingly tense silence; Maka took a shaky breath.

"Would you have bitten if it wasn't me?" She wasn't even sure why she would ask that; the fact was she was still a little…'out of it.'

He shrugged. "Who knows?"

There was a short silence. "Why did you bite me, anyway?" Maka asked. "You knew it would make you stuck with me for the rest of your—ah, _my_ life."

"Maka…" Soul looked at her with a disapproving gaze, though the trained eye could see that he was truly hurt. "I…I really didn't." He shook his head. "I barely remember any of it; I wasn't in my right mind, for God's sake."

She could sense his unease. His guilt. In a brief moment of clarity, she realized that his cocky self-assuredness was just his coping mechanism. It had always been; deep down, she realized he was just as scared and confused as she was.

Cautiously, she sat up and put her hands on his shoulders, sitting on her knees behind him. When he didn't move to shake her off, she relaxed a little.

"Soul-kun…I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her forehead on his left shoulder. Looking over at her, he sighed and put his left hand on her head, leaning his head onto hers.

"It's not your fault," he said in a low, gravelly murmur. "I promised I'd always protect you, no matter what."

"Twice."

"Huh?"

"This is twice you've almost died protecting me," she clarified, voice cracking with tears as she tightened her hold on him. Soul sighed.

"It's my duty, Maka. I promised." _I'd do anything for you,_ he added. She opened her eyes a bit.

 _But what if I don't want you to die for me?_

 _I don't wanna leave you alone, either, Maka…but someday it may be the only choice._

"Don't say things like that!" she tightened her hug a little more. "I can't stand the thought of losing you!"

Soul turned around so he was facing her. She released him, instead putting her face in her hands to cry. He felt a wrench in his chest; he could never stand seeing her cry. He moved up on the bed, gently taking her hands from her face and pulling her up with him. He laid back on her numerous pillows, allowing her to cry into his chest. And all the while, he hated himself for being the reason.

"Soul-kun…" he heard after a little while.

"Maka?"

"Your heart…I can hear it beating. Aren't vampires supposed to be dead?"

"Well…" he mulled over a response. "Technically, vampires are the _un_ dead. I was dead for a short time—"

"Please don't say it like that."

"—but I came back," he continued reassuringly. "My heart beats, I'm breathing, my liver and kidneys function properly…you know, the works." He began to think he had done a little too much research on this; he sounded like such a nerd.

Maka giggled nonetheless, but it quickly faded, and then there was a brief silence, though a slightly more comfortable one than before.

"Soul…when were you bitten? Were you on your way out?"

Soul sighed and looked at the ceiling. She sounded so hopeful. He just couldn't admit that he knew he might not make it out alive.

"Yeah, Maka. I was. I was on my way out to you."

Maka gripped the fabric of Soul's shirt in her hand, nestling into the warmth of him and falling soundly asleep. Soul sighed and relaxed a little when he heard her steady breathing. He lay there for a couple hours, realizing that in becoming a vampire, he apparently had a nocturnal sleep schedule, as well. Well, that was almost nothing new, he thought with a sardonic scoff.

Come to think of it, it was still strange to think that he wasn't really…human anymore. He was a vampire, a supernatural creature of the night. He'd heard Maka's thoughts earlier, about how calling him her mate and not her partner was strange still, and he had to agree. He was sure they'd both get used to it, but for now it was still new, still raw and strange. He pictured Maka's face in his mind before he went to sleep, trying to drown out the annoying nonsensical dream she was having—apparently he could _read_ her mind, but couldn't _control_ what he saw. He groaned and held her a little closer anyway, kissing her forehead and forcing himself asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Maka awoke the next morning to her alarm. She groaned, and without opening her eyes, she rolled over, groggily reaching to shut said alarm off. She kept hitting the top of it, but it wouldn't shut off for some reason...wait...since when had her alarm clock been...fluffy? Peeking one eye open, she saw the slightly irritated face of her partner, whose head she had just been repeatedly smacking.

"Eek!" She sprang into a sitting position. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't know you were right-"

Soul put his fingertips to her lips to quiet her. "Don't freak out; I'm not mad."

She blinked a few times. "When did you get up?"

"Been up."

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, leaning back away from him a little bit. "Since when are you up before me—screw that, since when are you up before you're late?"

The corner of his mouth curved into a small smile. "Vampire. Nocturnal sleep schedule."

"Oh yeah..."

Her stomach twisted; she couldn't help but hope that it had all been some kind of terrible dream and everything would be normal again. Soul stared her down for a few more seconds, looking slightly irritated. Then, he frowned.

 _Which also means I'm hungry,_ she heard in her head. She blinked twice.

 _Can't he get his own bowl of cereal...?_ she thought to herself. Apparently having heard her, Soul hung his head and sighed exasperatedly. To Maka's surprise, he climbed on top of her, straddling her hips, and grabbed her right wrist, rolling back her pajama top sleeve and lifting it to his lips.

"Vampire," he reminded her as he bit down. She gasped at the initial pain of his fangs piercing her skin, but the pain faded almost immediately, and was replaced with the still-foreign, drug-like feeling of blood leaving her body. She bit her lip as he looked up into her eyes. Her body's response, for which she still didn't have a reason, was the exact same as last time: shivers down her spine, a strange feeling in her stomach, her heart rate increasing dramatically, a sudden strange realization of just how tempting and alluring he was, crimson eyes staring into her soul. She let out a shaky sigh and then Soul pulled his mouth away from her wrist, licking her wound shut and wiping blood off his mouth. Maka, feeling a bit dizzy, just stared at him briefly. Soul looked back up at her and she gulped.

"H-hey Soul..."

"Mm?"

"Why...why do I get this...I dunno...weird feeling when you...bite me?"

Soul wrinkled his brow.

"...weird feeling?"

"Yeah...yeah, it's like...kinda...like I'm on a drug, I think...never been on drugs so I guess I wouldn't know, but...then I just get all dizzy."

Soul looked concerned. "Maybe I need to start taking less blood at a time."

"Why?"

"Firstly, because if you're getting dizzy like that, that means I'm taking too much blood at one time and I need to start taking smaller doses until you get used to it. Hard to control your impulses as a young vampire, I guess—I think they're called fledglings? Whatever, secondly, that druggy feeling you're getting, well, I don't really know about that, but it's probably not a good thing. Talk to Stein about it; he's the vampire expert."

Maka nodded, glancing at the clock. She wet her lips and shook her head, nodding again.

"Yeah...yeah, I should probably get ready for school."

* * *

Maka walked up the steps to the school, the buzz of Soul's bite gone now, but still nagging at her curiosity. She pondered a few theories in her head before she heard Soul's voice next to her from under the protective cloak he wore in sunlight.

"Jesus fuck, I feel so weird walking around in this thing."

"Well, it keeps you from turning into vampire flambé," she snapped.

"I feel like I'm stalking little girls."

"What?!"

"...never mind. Random thought."

Maka shook her head; even as a vampire, Soul was still strange. Perhaps even more so now.

There was plenty of pre-class buzz to be heard as Maka neared the front doors of the school. She heard Soul scoff next to her and stopped walking, peeking curiously under his hood. He scowled at the door.

"Watch as they all friggin' stare at us when we walk in."

"They will not."

"Will too. Just watch."

Maka and her cloaked companion held their breaths as they stepped into the school, Soul slipping off his cloak. He looked around and groaned lowly when all conversation stopped. There was no noise. No talking, no footsteps. Not even the flutter of a stray paper. All eyes were turned towards the duo. Or, more importantly, the vampire side of said duo.

 _Told you they'd stare,_ he told Maka. Attempting to ignore them, Soul slung his cloak over his shoulder and headed off in the direction of the classroom, signature slouch and all. Maka followed obediently.

* * *

Soul had thought he'd gotten his fair share of humiliation in the hallway. He was wrong. It seemed the whispers never ended. They didn't think he'd hear, but his enhanced senses picked up every word.

"Didn't he die yesterday?"

"They read off his name..."

"No, he was only bitten."

"He's the walking dead?!"

"That cloak is totally cliché."

"They say he bit his partner!"

"That is so _Twilight_!"

"How come _he_ lived?" ( _Ouch._ )

"Pfft. Swiss Army Mouth, a vampire?"

He sighed and sunk low into his seat. This was gonna be a long day, especially since he couldn't tune out all that they were saying. He was called various names in nasty whispers and rumors circulated quickly throughout the classroom, some about Soul, and even a few about Maka; how she was evidently mated to him now, how they had supposedly slept or were sleeping together (something told him that one wasn't new) and how she was in danger staying with him. He sighed and tried his best to tune them out, attempting to instead focus on the professor. That failing as it always did, he turned to Black*Star.

"Dude." Soul turned around in his seat and whispered to his friend.

"'Sup?"

"I'm gonna need something else to cover me up when I come to school. That cloak ain't doing me any favors."

"I bet. Any way you can cover the fangs?"

"Nope. These babies are permanent."

"Ouch."

Soul shrugged. "No big deal." He stretched and yawned, being exhausted due to the daytime, and several girls gasped and pointed at his fangs.

"Until that happens," Black*Star noted. Soul frowned.

"Whatever. I'm gonna take a nap."

And with that, he yawned again—again eliciting gasps and giggles from girls across the room—and curled up with his head in his arms on his desk.

* * *

Maka woke Soul at the bell—not without effort—and led him down the steps, catching Stein right before he left class.

"Professor, wait! Can I talk to you for a second?"

Stein stopped and scooted his chair backwards, stopping in front of Maka and Soul.

"What is it, Maka?" he drawled.

"Well..." Maka bit her lip and glanced at Soul.

 _Your show, Ace,_ he said, raising his eyebrows. She looked back at Stein.

"...I guess I just don't quite know everything about this whole...well...anything, really. You know, Soul being a vampire, the mating thing, the feeding, all that...?"

 _Lovely, Maka._ Soul rolled his eyes. _How very articulate._

She glared at him, then looked back at Stein, shrugging apologetically.

"I guess I just have a few more questions."

"Oh, well, if it's relating to the current vampire situation, I suppose I can help you. I don't have a class this hour, so I can call your second-hour teachers to let them know where you are."

Maka smiled. "Thanks."

When Stein came back, he had them both take seats in front of his desk.

"So, what is it that you need to know?"

Maka swallowed. Before she could begin with her questions, though, Soul interrupted.

"Is it alright if I just sleep through this?" he asked, yawning.

"No," Stein replied matter-of-factly, "you may need to know some of these things. I do apologize for having to interrupt your nocturnal schedule, but I really have no choice. I would have proposed a night school for all the vampires...had more than one survived."

"None of the other bitten kids made it?" Maka asked, sitting on the edge of her seat with wide eyes. Stein shook his head.

"They all died. You have to understand, Maka," Stein took off his glasses and cleaned them on his lab coat, "that DNA antivenin I was talking about? Turns out it's pretty uncommon. Not necessarily rare, but there aren't a lot of humans that have it. Soul just happened to be one of the lucky ones."

Maka unconsciously reached over and took Soul's hand. He looked at their joined hands for a second and squeezed gently to comfort her.

"Guess that explains all the glares we've been getting," Maka murmured.

"There's sure to be quite an air of jealousy around here," Stein agreed, "but hopefully they'll get over it soon. They just need to grieve for a while."

Soul slouched, grimacing. "Guess that makes me the only inhuman freak in this school. That's just fucking great. _So uncool_ ," he muttered.

Maka gave Soul a sympathetic look and squeezed his hand gently, frowning when he slid his hand out of hers. He didn't send any of his thoughts to her, and she figured from the way he looked away from her that she didn't want to know them anyway. She sighed. Catching a glimpse of the puncture scars on her wrist, she remembered another question she had for Stein.

"Hey...Soul's fed off me twice, but only one of them scarred over. What's with that? And how come they heal so quickly anyway?"

That, Stein was able to answer almost immediately. "The scar you have on your wrist is a mating mark. The first bite is the only one that remains visible after healing because it shows other vampires that you're off-limits for feeding. Ah, well, for mating, anyhow. A human can only mate to a single vampire."

"A human can only mate once?" Maka asked.

"In the case that the vampire doesn't die within the human's lifetime, yes. A mating bond can only be broken if one of the mates dies. Only if the vampire dies before the human can they mate again. Even then, I'm not sure it's possible..."

Soul shook his head. "Goddamn, every time you answer one of our questions, you only confuse me more."

"Well, not much is known about vampires," Stein said somewhat defensively. "Besides, you're still a newborn fledgling, and I would assume one of the first to actually live within a human society. Most of these things you'll have to learn with experience, and even so, considering your surroundings, you'll probably learn certain things differently from most vampires."

Soul blinked twice. "O-okay..."

Maka shook her head. Stein reached into the top drawer of his desk and produced a small beaker, little white measurement lines up the side of it. A piece of what appeared to be latex was stretched over the top of it.

"Since not much is known about vampires or their venom, and you're the only vampire I can actually get a hold of," Stein said, grinning, "I'm going to take this opportunity to find out more."

Soul looked at the container, then back up at Stein, blankly. Maka stared at the object and raised an eyebrow.

"You're...milking him?"

Soul's head snapped over to Maka, a shocked and frightened look on his face.

"What?" she asked, clueless.

" _M-milking me?!_ "

"Yes," Stein said, "kind of like a snake. I just need to collect a sample of your venom so I can study it." Seeing Soul's still frightened expression, he explained, "Here, simple: just take this cup and bite down on the top of it. I'm sure you'll automatically release venom, as the rubber over the top of it is about the thickness of epidermis."

"Epi-what...?"

"...human skin."

Soul cringed slightly, but took the cup. It actually reminded him scarily of a urine cup, only larger...sighing, he wet his lips and stabbed his fangs into the rubber.

Maka watched, fascinated, as a clear liquid closely resembling water spilled gently out of the tips of Soul's fangs, like a faucet turned on low. He pressed his fangs into the rubber a little harder and held them there until they stopped secreting venom. The liquid filled to the bottom line. Soul pulled his fangs out and grimaced.

"Yeesh, this stuff even tastes bad to me."

Stein took the beaker back, examining it closely.

"That actually doesn't look like a whole lot of venom," Maka commented.

"Actually, that's a good fifty milliliters," Stein told her. "To put it in perspective, most venomous snakes only inject about five to seven."

Maka raised her eyebrows. She knew about snakes. She had figured vampire venom would be fairly similar. Stein stood up and began walking briskly towards the door.

"Follow me, you two...I want you to see this."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Maka held her arms around herself tightly. Stein's lab was colder than she thought it would be. She looked around nervously at the variously shaped beakers and bubbling test tubes. The shelves were lined with jars of several sizes, each carrying some oddly-shaped something-or-other in them. She decided she didn't want to think about what they could all be. Soul stood expressionlessly beside her, his arms crossed over his chest. Stein, meanwhile, was examining a sample of the venom he'd gotten from Soul under a microscope and tapping notes into his computer. Occasionally he would mutter or nod to himself, adding to Maka's discomfort. She reached over and grabbed Soul's jacket, leaning close into his side.

Stein looked into a strange machine, pulled his head back, muttered something, then looked into it again. He glanced into the microscope next to it.

"Oh..." Maka heard him murmur. He pushed his feet against the bottom of the counter and scooted up to his computer, tapping something frantically on the keyboard. Then, he leaned back in his chair, humming and tapping his foot on his desk. Maka glanced at Soul with a slight whimper. He covertly slipped an arm around her, squeezing her waist comfortingly.

"This is certainly strange," Stein said. Maka bit her lip. _Oh God, he's finally speaking out loud! That can't be good, can it?_

 _Chill,_ she heard Soul's voice say. _He's studying my venom, not your organs._

She threw a sidelong glare at him.

"Now this is a little disturbing," Stein said.

"Wh-what is it?" asked Maka nervously.

"Well, I'm trying to figure out how in the world this venom doesn't kill immediately, regardless of DNA...it's very similar to that of the black mamba."

"The black mamba?! You mean like the deadliest snake in the world?!"

"So some would say. I may be doing something wrong, but from what I've seen so far, there's about 50 milligrams of venom in here...a single bite delivering 50 milligrams...that's more than the black mamba delivers at maximum. If the snake can kill an adult human within minutes, then a vampire should be able to kill instantly."

"Whoa...weird."

"Indeed." He sighed, shaking his head and sweeping his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This can't be right," he groaned. "I'm afraid I'll have to send you two off to class. I'll let you know if I figure anything out...anything logical, that is..."

* * *

Soul woke up on the couch around 8pm. He remembered falling asleep there after school; he still wasn't sure what he was going to do about this whole nocturnal thing. In fact, he wasn't sure how he made it through the past week and a half. He had always been a fairly calm, laid-back guy, but anyone would be driven crazy by the whispers and rumors already going around. "Oh, he bit his partner," "maybe she's a vampire, now, too," "do you think they're sleeping together?" (This one particularly got to him for some reason)

Additionally, and, most disturbingly, he felt kind of…out of control as of late. There was something inside of him, perhaps some kind of demonic urge…he wanted to hurt people. He debated going to school every morning because he kept having these stupid thoughts about just grabbing the kid next to him and tearing him apart. He could tell it wasn't hunger; Maka took care of that just fine.

It was a pure, animalistic need to kill. He hated himself for it, and at the same time, he tried to accept it as part of his nature as a vampire. Somehow it seemed like it was getting harder…he decided he had two options at this point: he could mope and whine over it and possibly irritate himself further, or he could distract himself from it and chill out a little bit. Sighing, he sat back in the couch, hands behind his head. He absently ran his tongue over his fangs, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he sank them into something…he felt a grumbling in his stomach and realized Maka hadn't fed him in almost 24 hours; she'd been late this morning and in too much of a hurry to feed him, and she'd been rushing around like a busy little bee all day to make up for it.

He pushed himself off the couch and made his way to her room. When he eased the door open, the room was mostly dark. The only light was the lamp on the desk Maka was currently hunched over. She had her hair in those little pink things and was dressed in her pajamas, which meant she probably intended to go to sleep after she was finished scrawling.

He knocked lightly; he knew she didn't like being scared out of her chair when she was studying.

"Hi, Soul," she said without even looking up. "Listen, I'm kinda busy, can you give me a few minutes?"

He briefly considered walking in there and just grabbing her wrist from her and biting her anyway (he _was_ really hungry), but he could sense from here that she was already really irritated. He didn't want her staking him or something…he sighed and went back to lounge around on the couch. Maybe with some luck, he'd fall asleep again.

Maka never fed him that night; she passed out in the middle of her study session, and she was late again the next morning. He tried not to pay much mind to his growing hunger for fear of starting a fight.

The next day, the group all stood in the school hallway. Soul took a quick headcount.

"Hey," he murmured, "Kid, where's Liz?"

Kid looked in Soul's direction. "Hmm? Oh. She said she wasn't feeling well today."

"She's sick?" Maka asked, looking suddenly worried.

"I suppose...the circumstances are a bit odd, though...I was actually just about to bring it up."

"What happened?"

Soul furrowed his brow. Illness and "odd circumstances" never meant good things. Kid closed his eyes and started explaining.

"Liz went out last night for kind of a walk around town," he began. "She didn't get back until late, sometime around eight or so. She seemed a little scared, so I asked her what was wrong. She said some strange man tried to attack her, but she figured she was alright. I thought I saw her touch something on her neck, but she told me not to worry about it and went to bed. This morning, she said she was feeling ill."

Everyone stayed silent for a minute. He hated to call it vampire instincts (sounded too much like Spidey Senses) but something—and it might have been normal intuition—told Soul that there was something wrong here. Liz's story seemed off somehow; vague, like she was trying to hide something. He didn't say anything; she could have told the truth, he told himself. Maybe there wasn't anything abnormal about this, and he was freaking out over something nonexistent.

Just as he was resuming his "cool" composure, his ears picked up on a couple of somewhat younger girls whispering a ways behind Kid.

"She got attacked?"

"She's sick?"

"Something about her neck..."

"Do you think there's a bite there?"

They all looked at Soul, noticed him staring back, and gasped, quickly turning and walking away, still whispering about him supposedly attacking her. He glared at the backs of their heads, hoping they felt his stare. There was another stupid rumor to go around. He felt anger boiling inside him again, which caused another hungry growl of his stomach. He bit back a groan. This was gonna be a long damn day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The silence was getting thick. The entire group was thinking what Soul had been, but none of them wanted to say it.

"So," Tsubaki finally said in an attempt to make normal conversation, "are you ready for the test today, Maka?"

Maka grinned and gave Tsubaki a thumbs-up. "Yup!" she said cheerily. "Been studying all night for the past three days."

"Oh, my...are you sure that's healthy?"

"I don't see why not..."

"What's that test over, anyway?" Black*Star interjected.

"Marine anatomy, I believe," Kid replied.

"Wait, aren't marines those guys who...WAIT A MINUTE!" Patty cried out, gasping.

"No, Patty," Kid told her, "I mean marine _animals_. As in animals who live in water."

"Ohhh! You mean like bears and squirrels and..."

"Yeah, it should be pretty easy," Maka said, ignoring Patty. "I hope..."

"Easier than a math test, I suppose," Tsubaki shrugged.

None of them seemed to notice that Soul wasn't saying anything. Too caught up in thoughts of his hunger to even think about the upcoming science test, the young vampire stared at the ground, brainstorming a few solutions.

Solution 1: Maka was right there. He could just feed right now. But that might attract unwanted attention.

Solution 2: Maka was right there. He could mention to her that she hadn't fed him in a while. Then she'd probably tell him either to wait or take him off to some dark, deserted hallway. That would really attract unwanted attention. He got enough whispers already.

Solution 3: He could do _this_.

Soul turned on his heel and, without saying a word, walked toward the front doors of the school. Maka turned and called after him.

"Hey! Soul!"

"Hm?" he stopped to turn and look at her.

"Where are you going?"

"Home," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me," he told her disinterestedly, walking away once more. She walked up and grabbed his arm, startling him into growling a little bit. She ignored it.

"Just because you're a vampire now doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want," she chastised.

"Uh-huh, and just because you're my mate now doesn't mean you can stop me." He took his arm from her and stalked out of the building. Maka stood there for a minute, a slightly hurt look on her face.

"Geez," Black*Star said, "what's going on with him?"

"I don't know," Maka said, looking down at the ground. "He's been really irritable lately. One minute he's just fine, cuddly even, and the next it's like he doesn't wanna be touched."

"Sounds almost like a teenage girl," Kid said. When everyone stared at him, he defended himself by saying, "Hey, Liz isn't here to say it..."

They all laughed, Maka a little more forcedly than the others, just as the bell rang for class.

* * *

Maka tried her hardest to focus on her test, but she couldn't quit thinking about Soul.

Now label the parts of an electric eel- _he'd just shrugged her off and walked away, looking so angry for some reason._

What causes the deep-sea shrimp Parapandalus to glow? _How he held her that first night, promising he'd always be there._

Which is not a member of the dolphin family? _How he just suddenly didn't seem to want to be around her._

Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the uses and dangers of puffer fish. _"Watch me...just because you're my mate doesn't mean you can stop me._ "

She put her head in her hands and tried to stop herself from crying. She had always had a deep connection to Soul, had always had sort of a sixth sense connected to him; she could always tell when something was wrong with him. She didn't need a telepathic connection with him to be able to see that. Sighing, she decided to try something.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on Soul. She focused on him, on his eyes, his hair, his smell, the feel of his soul resonating with hers, trying to get a grip on where he was right now and what he was doing. She wet her lips and concentrated a little harder...she thought she was starting to get something...a feeling of anger, of loss, of frustration...and hunger.

Violent, stomach-twisting, mind-numbing hunger.

The feeling was so intense she actually doubled over and groaned, clutching her stomach. She felt what little connection she had formed break off.

"Maka? Are you alright up there?" Stein asked. Regaining her wits, Maka nodded.

"Y-yeah, Professor...j-just have kind of a stomachache."

She looked back down at her test. Okay...simple multiple-choice for a little while, it looked like...

 _Don't worry, Maka._

She choked down a gasp. That was Soul's voice.

 _Don't freak out about me, okay? I'm fine._

Along with that message, she heard a much smaller _damn it, Black*Star..._ and a growl.

Maka looked to either side of her. Wait a minute...

...where were the boys?!

* * *

Soul reclined in his room, chuckling slightly at Maka straining herself to read his mind. He stopped laughing when he heard Black*Star's voice again, though. The other two boys had taken the liberty of "checking on" Soul—that meaning they joined him in ditching school.

"So, dude, what do you usually do when you ditch? I work out all the time! We should totally go and work out together or somethin'!" And with that, he yanked off his shirt and started doing one-handed push-ups on the floor.

 _Don't worry, Maka,_ he said to his partner, who he knew was supposed to be testing right now, _don't freak out about me, okay? I'm fine._

Then, he caught another whiff of Black*Star—and not his sweat. Working out was getting Black*Star's blood flowing faster, and Soul honestly wasn't sure how long he could stand any more tantalizing.

 _Damn it, Black*Star..._

"Black*Star, Soul just said he's not feeling well," Kid said. "I don't think he wants to get up and exercise."

 _Damn, Shinigami blood smells good..._

"Well, exercise helps me feel better when I'm sick!"

"Exercise is the only thing you ever do, Black*Star..."

"Hey Soul! Check out this new move!"

 _Blood...no...no, wait for Maka to get back. Only feed from Maka. Only feed from feed...from..._

Soul sighed. He was starting to feel more and more out of control lately. It was like he couldn't get a grip on his thoughts or actions. He was getting hungry for blood; all he could think about was sinking his teeth into an unsuspecting person and just draining the last fucking drop of blood from their body. Sometimes he really hoped this was just part of being a newborn...

 _THUMP!_

"Black*Star, did you seriously just fall over trying to do pushups on your head...?" Soul heard Kid ask.

"Nah, guess the ground just wanted a hug."

"Oh, dear, you're bleeding."

"Huh? Oh. Dresser musta caught me. No big, just a scrape."

Soul's eyes snapped open at the smell of blood. He could tell there wasn't much, but it was blood regardless. He felt a growl rise from deep in his chest.

 _Only...feed...from..._

His thoughts came to a complete halt. All that was left was...

"Blood."

"Huh?" both the boys asked at the same time, looking over just in time to see the flash of bright red eyes and glistening fangs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Finally! Maka finished the last essay question on the test. She was in far too much of a hurry to check her answers like usual; she had to check on Soul.

Sticking her pencil behind her ear, she stood and took the stairs two at a time, handing Stein her finished test. He looked at the packet in his hand, then back at Maka, who bit her lip.

"In a hurry?" he asked. She furrowed her brow.

"Well...y-yeah, kinda...s-see, Soul's not feeling so well, and so...I-I just wanted to...go...make sure he's alright."

"Not feeling well?"

"Y-yeah...he's been..." she looked around and lowered her voice. "He's been really irritable lately, really distant."

Stein frowned slowly. "Maka..." he said in the voice that usually meant someone was in trouble.

Her eyes widened and she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Y-yes?"

"How long has it been since you fed Soul?" he asked quietly.

Maka stopped for a minute and thought back the last few nights. She had been really tired for most of them. All she could remember was textbook pages and study notes...suddenly, as though Stein's question were a trigger, she remembered several particular instances, the last few times she'd talked to her partner.

 _"Hey, Soul...I'm a little busy, can it wait?"_

 _"Hey, Maka-" "Not right now, Soul, I'm studying."_

 _"I'll get to it after I finish this chapter, okay?"_

 _"...Soul...? Huh...he's asleep...guess he'll just remind me to feed him in the morning...yaaawwnn..."_

 _"Maka...you're awake..." "Yeah...? Wait a minute...oh my God, I'm already a half-hour late! We'll talk later, okay Soul?"_

"Maka." Stein gave her a stern look.

Maka's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open in an expression of guilt and shock as she suddenly realized what had been wrong with Soul this whole week.

Panic preventing her from being able to form the words "I have to get home," Maka simply dropped her books and turned to run out the door.

Tsubaki saw Maka nervously bounce while talking to Stein and quietly wondered what happened. She was never one to stick her nose in other people's business, but she heard Soul's name come up a couple of times and couldn't help but wonder...

Then she saw Maka's face slowly melt into one of panic, saw her shaky hands drop her books and Maka sprint out the door as though she were running for her life.

Tsubaki wasn't stupid. She knew something would have to have gone seriously wrong for Maka to just run out of a classroom without saying anything. That and Soul was gone along with the other two boys...

Uncharacteristically scrawling a random answer on the last essay question, Tsubaki followed Maka's lead, sprinting down the steps, handing Stein her test, and running out the door. She ran as fast as she could out the front door and stopped for a minute, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the glaring sunlight. Finally, she could make out a small, dark shape running down the street, pigtails flying. Tsubaki ran down the steps as fast as she could, tripping a couple of times and at one point near the bottom losing her footing entirely, bouncing down that last few steps to the gravel road. Pushing herself back up and quickly evaluating the damage—a few minor scrapes, not even bleeding—she ran after Maka.

"Maka!" she yelled. She waved her hand in the air, hoping the girl would notice. "Maka! Wait!"

Finally, Maka slowed, looking over her shoulder at Tsubaki. She didn't stop, only slowed so that the shadow weapon could catch up.

"Maka, what's going on?" Tsubaki asked as the two started running together.

"I found out what's wrong with Soul," Maka gasped out.

"What is it?"

"I...I haven't fed him in almost a week," Maka panted. "Blood, I mean. I've been too busy studying."

"I don't think...I understand."

"If vampires are starved of blood too long, they basically go psycho and turn into a rogue vampire, killing almost anything to feed. And since Soul is still a fledgling, and a newborn at that, it's really difficult for him to control himself. Damn it, damn it, _damn it!_ I'm such a moron!"

Tsubaki honestly couldn't think of anything to say. She might be naïve, but she certainly wasn't stupid; she could put two and two together. Soul was starving and undisciplined, and Kid and Black*Star were alone with him.

The girls tried not to worry themselves too much. Vampire or no, Soul was a really cool-headed guy. Surely he would be able to control himself when he sensed that Maka was on her way.

Maka climbed the stairs to the apartment at warp speed, throwing open the door and carefully walking into the living room, Tsubaki following her. Maka walked through the apartment, watching and listening for anything unusual.

"Soul?" she called. "Soul, I'm home. Where are you?"

 _B-bedroom...j-just leave me alone, okay...? I-I'm fine, already...I'm fine, I swear..._

Maka's heart wrenched at the sound of a whine at the end of his statement. He sounded pretty panicked. Walking a little faster, she headed towards his bedroom door.

 _N-no! D-don't come in here! I-I-I...I'm fine, really!_

Tsubaki noticed the look of fear on Maka's face as she slowly approached the door. She watched uneasily, right behind the blonde girl, hovering over her shoulder, as she put her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it.

Creakily, the door swung open. Tsubaki gasped and covered her mouth, doubling over and suddenly feeling like she was going to vomit. Maka turned a shade of green and covered her mouth as well, tears welling up in her eyes.

There, lying on the floor of Soul's bedroom, was Black*Star's bloody, mangled body. Maka's tear-filled eyes swept the blood-spattered room, finding Kid's also twisted and lifeless body lying on Soul's crimson-stained sheets. Both boys lay in pools of fresh blood, their faces contorted into expressions of terror and agony.

Maka looked past Kid's body and found Soul, curled up in the corner and shaking, blood pouring from his mouth and drenching the front of his body and his hands. The look in his eyes was one of pure fear and disbelief. He looked up at Maka, who now had tears streaming down her face, and a look of despair overcame him.

 _I'm sorry...I am so fucking sorry, Maka..._

Blinking repeatedly, Maka turned and ran from the apartment, a sobbing Tsubaki following her.

Maka ran out the door onto the stairwell and bent over the railing, gasping out sobs. She couldn't believe what she'd just seen.

The images flashed in her mind, horrendous, heartbreaking pictures that she couldn't forget, gruesome memories that she could never erase.

 _Kid and Black*Star, bodies twisted and lifeless, lying in pools of their own blood..._

 _Soul curled up, shaking, in the corner, covered in the blood of his two best friends..._

 _They were both dead._

She tried to deny it; she wanted _so damn badly_ to deny it, but she knew she couldn't. Deep in her soul, she could just feel it. Soul, her partner, the one person she trusted with her own life, had killed the other two boys. He'd basically eaten them alive.

And it was all her fault.

If she hadn't been so caught up in her studies...if she hadn't completely forgotten that he needed to be sustained on _her_ blood, they might not have died.

Maka sobbed uncontrollably for a little while, Tsubaki standing behind her and rubbing her back as she, too, cried quietly. Maka spun and threw her arms around Tsubaki's neck, sobbing into her shoulder. Tsubaki patted her back and let her cry for a little while, trying to calm her as she hyperventilated.

"Ts-Tsubaki...wh-wh-what are we g-gonna do...? B-both the boys are dead"—she hiccupped—"a-and it's all my fault!"

Tsubaki gently shushed her friend, then sighed. "It's not your fault, Maka," she said, trying her best to sound consoling. "There's...there's nothing you could've done...please don't blame yourself."

Sniffling, Maka pulled away and wiped at her tears. "So...so what are we going to do?"

"I...I honestly don't know."

Maka took a deep breath. There was a moment of silence before she finally sighed and said, voice trembling, "Well...guess we'd better call the vampire expert..."

"Huh?"

Maka went back inside the apartment, ignoring the sound of what was undoubtedly Soul turning on the shower, and walked over to the phone. She picked it up and dialed a number, then the two girls waited tensely.

Finally, someone must have picked up.

"Hello?" Maka said into the phone. "Stein? Yes, it's Maka...we need your help at the apartment...yes," she choked, "yes, it's Soul."

Before long, Stein, Marie, Sid, and Spirit were all at Maka and Soul's apartment, examining the carnage in Soul's bedroom. Tsubaki, while indescribably grief-ridden over the loss of her partner, had still hidden Soul away in Maka's closet until Spirit left. Currently, the Deathscythe was standing outside Soul's room holding his daughter—something that might have shocked everyone there were it not for the situation at hand.

Stein finally stood from analyzing Black*Star's body—they had already declared Kid dead—and turned to Maka.

"Do you happen to have a mirror anywhere? Preferably a more full-sized one?"

"O-oh...y-y-yeah, j-just give me a minute."

Maka turned and walked into her bedroom, looking for her full-length mirror.

 _You don't have to keep me locked in here like some dirty animal, you know..._

She ignored her partner and moved over to the mirror, grabbing it and attempting to push it across the carpet. It moved a little bit, but it tilted more than anything.

 _Maka..._

"Shut up, Soul."

 _Maka, just let me help you._

"They're here because you killed the other two—"

 _What the—I didn't mean to! Please, Maka..._

She stopped and seriously considered his request for a moment.

 _You know I won't hurt you. If I promise I won't hurt anyone else, will you please let me out? I think I can face my fate on my own...you don't have to hide me away like a little kid._

"I don't want them staking you or something."

 _Do you really think any of them brought a stake_?

"Actually, yeah, they might've. Can't really trust anyone lately, now can you?"

 _Ouch..._

There was silence for a little while, Maka straining to move her mirror without dropping it.

 _At least let me move the mirror for you. You know you could never rearrange this room without me._

She glared at the closet.

"Alright, fine, but only because you're getting on my nerves."

 _You know you love me._

"Not in the mood, Soul."

 _Sorry._

She unlocked the closet and saw Soul sitting there, the blood cleaned off of him by his quick shower. He looked at her with big, sad, red eyes, his way of apologizing, since he almost never did it out loud. She glared back—ignoring the hurt in his eyes—and gestured to the mirror. He nodded and got up, helping her to pick it up and move it out into the living room.

"Ah, Soul," Stein said. "I was hoping I'd get to talk to you."

Soul said nothing. Maka could sense him looking at her, but she looked only at Stein as he walked up to the mirror and breathed on it, clouding up a small section of it, and writing the Death Room number in it.

Everyone was silent, watching the mirror. Finally, after three rings, Lord Death came on the mirror.

"Ah! Stein! Hallo, wassap? How did it go?"

"Not so well, I'm afraid," Stein said solemnly.

"What happened?" Lord Death asked more gently, ceasing his bouncing.

Stein sighed and removed his glasses, cleaning them on his coat as he explained. "Well, it would seem to me that Maka forgot to feed Soul for some time and he kind of...lost himself."

"Were there casualties?"

"Only two, but they both appear...very...very dead," he sighed.

"Anyone specific?"

Stein hesitated, glancing at Soul, who only nodded once and shrugged, as if to say, "hell, either you tell him now or he finds out later."

Stein put on his glasses and looked at Lord Death, closing his eyes and sighing. "Black*Star and Kid."

Death's face fell. "Oh...oh...well...I suppose...we should begin arranging for funerals, huh?"

Everyone nodded solemnly.

Soul looked down at his hands, which, not ten minutes ago, had been covered in those boys' blood.

 _What kind of a monster am I?_

There was no way Soul could go to school. No way he could handle the rumors, the inevitable frightened looks and everyone going silent when he arrived, parting like the red sea to watch him pass. He was a monster, a horrible, hell-spawned demon designed to kill, created to drain human beings of their blood...

...humans. He had been a human once, not that long ago. Only two or three weeks ago he had walked those hallways, hardly noticed except for a few crushing girls. He had chatted with his friends and taken tests and been blissfully ignorant of the existence of supernatural creatures. He had had crushes and dreams and the singular, unstoppable desire to protect his partner.

Maka...

..how would she handle it? How would she handle the rumors of her blood-guzzling, nightmarish weapon-partner-turned-vampire? He knew Maka was sensitive. He had seen the look on her face, heard her thoughts go entirely numb and her heartbeat stop before going completely erratic when she saw the carnage he'd caused. He'd seen the tears flow down her face, heard her sobbing out in the stairwell, unable to believe that the man she trusted with her life had killed his own two best friends.

He was a monster...

Maka bravely walked through the school hallway, prepared to block out any rumors or whispers she heard. She clutched her books to her chest and held her head high, doing her best to look as though nothing had happened the previous night. She smiled as though the gory images weren't still flashing in her mind.

Everything went well for the first hour or so. Then, during passing period between her first and second classes, while Maka was walking down the hallway silently with Tsubaki and Patty—Liz still wasn't feeling so well—Maka caught a few words from a nearby student, a guy by his voice.

"...hurt them pretty bad."

"Yeah, I heard Shinigami-sama's son got beat up real bad," added another boy.

"It got so bad they had to call a bunch of the teachers out to go see what happened."

"You think it was that vampire guy...?"

"No," Maka interjected, glaring at him. "Whatever happened, it wasn't Soul."

The boy turned to her. "Oh yeah? Well then tell me why Black*Star and Shinigami-sama's son got all beat up and bloodied last night right after they left with him?"

Maka felt anger boil up inside her. "You don't know that! You don't know anything! You think that just because Soul's a vampire now that he feels some constant urge to kill? They're his best friends! Besides, Soul is a good guy. He would never hurt anyone if he didn't have to! He only went home because he wasn't feeling well."

"You mean he was feeling hungry."

" _That's not true!_ " she screeched. "He was feeling sick! That's all! You don't know Soul at all! I do! He might be a vampire, but he's still my partner!" She leaned in close to him and glared, lowering her voice. "And if I hear you or your little cronies talking about him like that again, I will beat you so hard you'll forget your own name."

And with that, she turned and walked away. She stalked all the way out to the balcony, glaring murderously at everybody who dared throw her a curious glance. Finally, she reached the balcony railing, where she stared out at the city for a second…before breaking down crying.

She wanted to believe the things she had said back there. She really wanted to. But she knew, deep in her breaking heart, that her defense of Soul had been merely reflexive. Wishful, even. She knew what he had done. And no matter how loud she yelled, she could never change that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Soul finally decided to escape the house after about a week of being locked up in there. He just couldn't take the tension anymore; he and Maka had spoken nary a word since Black*Star and Kid's gory, untimely deaths, and it was just killing him. They used to be able to talk to each other about anything, and suddenly it was like, outside of feeding time, he didn't exist.

Although, he thought, he probably deserved this lengthened silent treatment. Probably deserved much more, in fact.

And even though he'd told himself he'd leave her alone to her brooding, he would admit to occasionally peeking into her thoughts—these past couple of weeks he had been practicing his control over their telepathic bond—just to see what she was planning on doing with him. So far, she didn't seem to be planning on kicking him out or staking him, but then...this was Maka. While her brain seemed preoccupied with tests and numbers and assholes who needed a good Maka-Chop whenever he happened to tune in, he couldn't be sure what she was thinking when he didn't.

And so, he decided, having had enough of Maka's torturous silence and his mind telling him he was a horrible monster, he would just have to get out of the house for once. Too much Maka, he figured, that must be it. _She's everywhere in that house. It smells like her, everything in there reminds me of her...and everything in there carries the very essence of her disappointment. Maybe if I get out for a little bit I can console myself somehow._

He couldn't get out while she was awake, though. She might yell at him. So, he waited. And as he waited, he entertained himself by doing the only thing he could think of: he watched her. Now she was in her room, now she was raiding the kitchen, tune in for a minute, nope, she's fretting over funeral arrangements. Now she's back in her room, writing down a few things about said arrangements. Now she's glancing at the clock making sure she hasn't missed Soul's feeding time.

Finally, feeding time _did_ come around, and she came out of her room for the first time in five hours. At this point, Soul was already pretty much asleep, more out of boredom than anything. Maka shook him awake, but didn't give him her wrist. He sat up and looked at her expectantly. _Like a goddamn dog. So uncool._

"Listen, Soul," she said, "I've been thinking..."

 _Oh no._

"Listen, after the whole...with the boys..."

"Oh, please don't tell me you're kicking me out!" Soul leaped into a sitting position and looked at her with big, pleading eyes. Much as he pretended not to care, getting kicked to the curb was actually one of his greatest fears. After all, he had pretty much nowhere else to go...and well...Maka...

She shook her head. "No; I could never do that."

He breathed a sigh of relief...which caught in his throat when she pulled out a pocketknife. He slowly looked back up at her, fear written all over him. Instinctively, he cringed back into the couch and covered his heart. He wasn't sure if pocket knives worked well as stakes, but he really didn't want to find out.

"M-Maka...you trust me...don't you?"

"Of course I do. I was just thinking about going with a new method of feeding."

"Oh...so it's my teeth you don't trust."

Maka rolled her eyes. "Now, Soul, don't be a drama queen." She put the knife to her wrist...

He didn't even remember knocking her back. All he knew was suddenly he was lying on the floor on his back, holding onto Maka for dear life, the pocketknife she'd had against her wrist all the way across the room, stuck into the wall up to the hilt. Both of them lay on the floor, panting. Maka pushed herself off Soul and looked at him in shock.

"What the hell...?"

"I was just about to say that..."

They just looked at each other, breathing hard for a few long seconds. Finally, gently, he took her wrist, the one with the mating mark, and lifted it to his mouth. Maka pulled back, holding her hand protectively against her chest. He looked at her in confusion.

"What, Maka? We've been doing this for a long time now, what makes you suddenly lose trust in me?"

Her gaze slid away. Several images of Black*Star and Kid lying twisted and bloody flashed through her mind, but all she said was a mumbled "I don't know."

Soul sighed and took her hand again, sitting up but keeping her in his lap. He pointed to the two scars on her.

"Maka...do you remember the day I gave you this?"

He watched the memory flash through her mind at the same time it did his: the moment his supposedly lifeless corpse sprung up and bit down hard onto her wrist. His first feeding.

Maka nodded shakily. Soul could sense a feeling of uneasiness coming from her. He tried to be as gentle as he could when he asked her, "Do you know what this means?"

Again, shaking, she shook her head. He tightened his grip on her arms, his garnet-red eyes imploring her.

"It means you're my mate," he told her, emphasizing the final word. "It means I'm eternally bonded to you on level deeper than even the soul. But most of all, it means I'm automatically inclined to protect you. From anything. That means from danger, from other vampires, from me...from you. I can't hurt you, Maka, not even if I wanted to."

She looked at him, the uneasiness fading a little bit, but still underlying her expression.

 _Trust me_ , he whispered to her. She gulped.

Their eyes were locked. Maka was feeling horribly torn; on the one hand, he…had…literally… _killed someone_. Two someones. Two very important someones. He was a monster, he was dangerous. Who was to say she couldn't possibly be next? Yet, on the other hand…somehow, she still wanted to trust him. She wanted to trust him so badly. She knew she shouldn't keep him around but she couldn't imagine her life without him.

She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, and he squeezed her gently. The embrace lasted for several minutes, her tightening her grip to prevent him from pulling back once. Then, she leaned back and cautiously gave him her wrist, the one with the mating mark. He softly kissed the scars before he bit her this time, reminding her of his promise.

The bite made her gasp and shiver slightly, and at the first gush of her blood, Soul realized he might just be reminding himself of his promise, as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Three more days had passed. The day of the funeral came around. Neither Tsubaki nor Maka had managed to calm Liz, and even Patty had turned quiet and still. Her way of becoming melancholy, Soul supposed. He stood outside the funeral home, in the shade of a large tree, dressed in his tuxedo and waiting for the others to show up. Liz and Patty, of course, were already here, as was Maka. Tsubaki was currently on her way.

Soul was just thinking to himself when Maka ran out of the building, her knee-length, long-sleeved black dress swishing around her legs.

"Soul-kun!" she called. He looked up at her; she hadn't called him that in ages…for some strange reason, the affectionate term made him feel a little warmer inside.

"What's up, Maka?" he asked, in the way he usually did.

She stopped near him, gasping for breath. "Black*Star's gone!"

He straightened up. "What?"

"He's gone! W-we were opening up his casket, and he's just...gone!"

Soul furrowed his brow. Gone...?

"You…mean…he's not in his…casket?" He spoke slowly, trying to wrap his head around what she was saying.

She nodded furiously, wringing her hands, pretty face set with worry. Soul thought about the situation for a minute. He couldn't help but wonder...what if...?

Soul walked quickly past Maka and carelessly pushed the door open, hastily walking towards the room where the wake was to be held. His heavy footsteps echoed through the dimly lit building off the shined hardwood floor. He stormed into the casket room, only occupied by Kid's frantic-looking partners. They stood back away from the currently open casket, holding each other with frightened looks on their faces. Slowly, he walked over to the coffin.

There was no body. Black*Star should have been lying there, as cleaned up and fixed as the coroner—Stein—could get him. But there was nothing but slightly wrinkled white sheets and the soft pillow. He stared, dumbstruck, for a minute, then turned to the girls.

"So he wasn't here when you guys opened it?"

Liz shook her head. Soul furrowed his brow, wondering what to do.

"Well...hang on, girls."

Soul went over to the phone on a nearby table, nearly knocking over a vase of flowers as he picked up the phone and dialed the number for the DWMA. He asked to talk to Stein.

"Yes?" the familiar voice drawled.

"Stein...'Star's gone...just wasn't there when we opened the coffin. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking; I just kind of had this gut instinct. Okay. Yeah, Kid's still here. Alright."

Soul hung up the phone and turned to the girls.

"Keep the coffins closed. Stein's gonna look for Star while we go through with this. Pretend everything's normal."

"Wait, Soul," Maka said, suddenly behind him, "What happened to Black*Star? You said you had a gut instinct..."

He slowly turned to her. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'dead man walking'?"

* * *

They were going to have to continue the funeral without Tsubaki at this point; they were late starting and she still hadn't shown. Soul shook his head, standing around the back, hidden from view of the rest of the crowd. There were so many things going through his head; how were they gonna pull this off? Liz and Patty had a hard time keeping their mouths shut. Liz was a horrible actress. Someone was gonna find out. What about Kid? Would he go missing? Or had Soul actually killed him? Where the fuck was Black*Star? Had his body been stolen? Or maybe...?

Soul slumped against the wall and groaned. This was getting him nowhere. He was only getting angry. And confused. And worried. And that made him angrier. Good God, what was wrong with him?

Maka walked around the corner of the building and looked at Soul. She hiked up the sleeve of her dress and offered him her wrist.

 _Oh,_ he thought when he smelled the blood racing through her. _That's what's wrong with me._

He gave her a small smile, taking her hand and lifting her wrist to his lips, once more kissing the mating mark there.

"Soul," she said, "I've been needing to talk to you."

He looked up at her curiously, her wincing slightly when he bit her.

"Well, see, I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you...everything's been so wacky and busy and whatnot..."

Soul closed his eyes and let the sound of her voice wash over him, gently sucking the blood out of her as she spoke. He sighed contentedly; he couldn't remember the last time he had felt so close...so in tune with her. He liked this...it soothed him and calmed his emotions.

"Soul? Are you listening?"

He looked up at her and healed her wrist, a small trickle of blood running out of the corner of his mouth. His fangs were still reddened from puncturing her skin. She shook her head.

"We'll talk about it later. C'mon," she said, wiping the blood off his face with a tissue, "we're gonna be late."

She turned and walked towards where the ceremony was going to be held, motioning for Soul to follow her.

* * *

Dismal, heartbreaking organ music floated softly through the room, washing gently over the attendees like a sea of melancholy. Except for Tsubaki, everyone who knew and was close to Kid and Black*Star was in attendance: Liz and Patty, Maka, Soul, Spirit (though he claimed to only come for Maka's sake), Lord Death, and all of the teachers from the academy. Even Crona showed up. Everyone sat in metal folding chairs as Sid stood and opened with "a few kind words."

"Friends, colleagues...we congregate here today to mourn the loss of two boys. Good friends, hard workers, and possibly our best students at the Academy..."

Soul glanced at his partner, who sat next to him with her head bowed in grief.

 _Hey. Something wrong?_

 _Soul. We're in the middle of a funeral._ She turned her head slightly to glare at him. _What do you think?_

 _There's something else, too, though. Something else that's bothering you. Wanna talk about it?_

 _Now's not really the time, Soul._

 _C'mon, not like we're interrupting anything. I can grieve and help my partner at the same time._

 _No, I mean_ now's not the time.

 _Oh. That bad?_

 _We'll talk about it later, okay? Just...not here, for God's sake. Now pay attention._

Soul disconnected and looked forward as Sid finished up his invocation. He still worried about his partner, but she had made it clear that she didn't want to discuss the issue. Lord Death bounced up to the front of the room, in front of the two closed, shiny wood caskets. His normally cheery mask was downcast, his hollow eyes set in saddened crescents.

"A reaper's work," he said slowly, "is his life. And a reaper's work is dangerous. But Kid-kun was dedicated to becoming a good reaper and taking his father's place when the time came. He was intelligent, loyal, and committed to living a good life and being a good friend. Even when he died, he was trying to help a friend. While we know his death was an accident, it is still tragic and heartbreaking.

"Black*Star was a talented student, and a devoted one. He dedicated all of his spare time to learning the ways of the assassin and training. I personally believe it was beginning to pay off, as well; he had incredible skills as an assassin, and was well on his way to becoming the best one in the Academy.

"Many hearts have been broken by these two tragic deaths. In this time of sadness and grief, we can only hope that they have gone to a better place, and that someday our pain and loss will subside, so that we can continue to live in their memory."

Death stepped down, and Liz stepped up. Her black sheath gown whispered across the polished floor. Rubbing one of her upper arms, bared by the wide straps, she sniffled, turning to face everyone. She hesitated a bit before speaking, looking at the ground, lips pinched together. Though her cheeks were dry, the red rim around her eyes and the streaks of eyeliner on her face betrayed that she had been crying previously.

She took a shaky breath and began, "Black*Star was a good guy. He was weird, and didn't really know how to keep his mouth shut when he needed to, but overall, he was a great friend. He was protective, determined, and he really had a good head on his shoulders when he wanted.

"And Kid-kun..." Liz grabbed the fabric at the front of her dress and took another shaky breath, clearly trying not to cry. Her voice broke when she tried to speak again. Finally, she got the words out. "Kid was a great partner. I'll admit it, I was in it for the money at first. But as time went on I realized he was really a good guy. He saved me and my sister." Another trembling breath. She tightened her grip on her dress. "We've all been through hell together. So many times I cried because I swore I was gonna lose him, and we had nowhere else to go." Liz was now unashamedly crying, tears and mascara now once again streaming down her face. "And the worst part about it is I never got to tell him goodbye!" she sobbed.

Maka found herself crying, too. She couldn't help but wonder...what would she have done if Soul had died so suddenly and horribly like this? They had been through hell together, too. What if he hadn't returned from the dead, never bitten her, marked her as his own? What if he had been permanently gone? What if she hadn't been able to say goodbye to him? What would she do if she was in Liz's place right now?

Maka suddenly remembered back to the day Liz had found out about Kid's death. She remembered that strange pang of déjà vu.

 _"H-h-he…h-he can't be…"_

 _"He is."_

 _"Y-you…you're lying!"_

Her mind trailed back to the day of Soul's death as well, when Maka had broken down over the news.

 _"Maka…Soul's dead."_

 _"No…no, Soul can't be dead!"_

 _"We saw him, Maka!"_

 _"No! You're wrong!"_

The voices echoed in her head, the memories crystal clear as though the three boys' deaths were within mere hours of each other instead of a few weeks. A sudden, strange thought occurred to Maka: the two girls' reactions were so similar...could the outcomes...?

No. They couldn't be. Survival of a vampire bite was—

Was Kid's coffin lid opening?

Maka looked around. She didn't appear to be the only one who noticed. Others were raising their eyebrows, turning to whisper to other people, or even gasping and pointing. Liz, cries echoing through the room, didn't appear to notice any of it. Looking to her right, Maka noticed Soul seemed to be making frantic, failing attempts to get Liz's attention.

Liz continued to cry, beginning to speak again, even as Kid—totally unmarred somehow—rose out of his coffin.

"No," she sobbed, "No, the worst part is I never got to tell him how I felt about him. Kid was an amazing guy. The kind of things we went through just don't happen without building trust. And after trust..." she took a deep breath, either ignoring or not seeing Soul making desperate "kill" gestures. "After trust comes attraction," she continued, "and after attraction comes love. I was never brave enough to tell him, and now I wish I could've at least told someone. Nobody knew I loved him except—"

"Liz!" Soul finally cried out. She looked up at him.

The door slammed open and Tsubaki, gasping and sweaty, ran in. Her knee-length, form-fitting dress was ruffled and torn and one of her black, elbow-length gloves was missing a finger. Her hair was falling out of its updo, brunette wisps floating around her terrified face. Everything was silent for a moment. Liz slowly turned to follow everyone's gaze, finally seeing the black-haired vampire standing by his casket. Her partner looked at her with hungry red eyes, grinning to show off gleaming fangs that seemed almost too long to fit in his mouth. Then, it all happened too fast.

Kid growled and started moving towards Liz, who screamed. Everyone stood out of their seats; some ran, others made to stop Kid. Soul tried to stop those that did. Tsubaki ran up to Maka, saying something about Black*Star. Then, the huge stained-glass window behind Kid shattered, little bits of gold and rose-colored glass flying. Liz dove to the ground, Kid following after her. Soul pushed Maka against the back wall, shielding her with his body. Everyone else either fled the building or ran for cover in the hallway.

Tsubaki stared wide-eyed at the jagged hole in the circular window, looking at the figure standing in front of it, standing from a crouched position. Those ravenous crimson eyes looked right at her. His ivory white fangs rested over his lower lip. She tried to back up, never taking her eyes off him, but she only made it two steps before she stepped wrong in her heels and tripped backwards. By the time she managed to get back up, Black*Star was standing right in front of her. She screamed and scrambled backwards, but it was too late. The assassin knelt next to her—though she swore she hadn't seen him move—and grabbed her by the wrist. She tried to fight him, squirmed and screamed, but it was useless. She was immobilized by his superhuman grip. She closed her eyes tight, gritting her teeth through the pain when she felt his fangs sink into her skin.

Liz opened her eyes. Her vision was swimming; she must have hit her head when she dove to avoid the broken glass. She felt a cold hand on her face. She turned her head, groaning. Her mind slowly processed what she was seeing—black hair with three white stripes. Two ruby eyes. A pair of shining white fangs, sharper than any weapon she'd ever seen. There he was, in all his vampiric glory...

"Kid-kun..." she whispered.

They laid there, oblivious to the chaos and screaming around them. Thousands of little bells tinkered across the floor around them, the last light of the sunset streaming through the fragmented window and casting an orangish glow throughout the room. Liz tried to speak, but she couldn't find the words to express her conflicting feelings. Kid placed one slender finger on her lips and lifted her left wrist to his mouth, pushing his fangs into her skin. She gasped and winced, then relaxed; after the initial sting faded, a wonderful glowing feeling spread through her body. She felt sleepy, maybe a little dizzy, like she'd been drugged, but stronger than any of those was a more non-physical feeling...

...she felt safe. She felt complete somehow, like there had been a void inside her that she hadn't noticed until now. When Kid released her wrist and sealed the wound, he looked down at her, lifting her head and holding her. She watched the crimson in his eyes melt back into the molten gold. He lifted her up and held her against his chest. He leaned his head down as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you, too," he whispered into her ear.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Soul clutched Maka protectively to him. Her eyes were shut tight, her head and arms curled up in the safety of his arms. It seemed to be a while before the screaming and the tinkling of glass stopped. When it did, Soul slowly, carefully lifted his head to look around. What he saw around him was pure chaos.

Chairs were knocked over. Colored glass was everywhere. People were poking their heads out from around corners, and Crona's bubblegum-colored hair was visible through a large potted rosebush, which Soul might not have noticed had the entire bush not been shivering. Black*Star knelt next to a dazed-looking Tsubaki, and up on the dais with the empty coffins, Kid and Liz held onto each other for dear life. The window, which he estimated had to be at least a few hundred years old, was as good as gone, save for the few stubborn shards clinging to the side.

Soul looked back down at Maka.

"Maka...you can open your eyes now."

She opened one eye and looked up at him. He softly coaxed her to open her eyes and tried to pry her off of him, but she wrapped her arms around him and refused to let go, burying her face in his chest.

"Maka, c'mon..."

"I don't wanna look," she whimpered.

"Why not?" he asked gently.

"I don't wanna find out who else is dead..."

"Maka, no-one's dead. At least, not anymore."

Again, she turned her head to look up at him, her eyes wide and scared. He hooked one finger under her chin, softly rubbing his thumb over her cheek. She gulped. Soul opened his mouth to reassure her again.

"Kiss me," Maka said suddenly. Soul stopped, face flushing bright red.

"Wh-what?"

Looking equally as shocked with herself as Soul was—and about four shades darker—Maka turned her head away. "N-nevermind..."

 _That was a really dumb move, Maka how could you just say that and in the middle of a funeral not to mention this mess now was totally not the time you are such a selfish idiot..._

Cringing a little, Soul tuned out. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Maka..."

She bit her lip, eyes downcast in shame.

"Big sis!"

Maka and Soul both looked over to see what was going on. Patty was running up to her sister. She fell to her knees next to Liz and Kid, the skirt of her dress draping itself over her as she fell. She chewed her nails and said something that Maka didn't quite catch. Curious, she walked up to go see what was going on, Soul following close behind her.

"Sis, are you okay?" Patty asked worriedly, tears rolling down her face. Liz turned and looked at her little sister, slowly smiling.

"Yeah, Patty, I'm fine." She looked up admiringly at Kid. Patty, as though she had just now noticed her undead partner, looked at him wide-eyed and gasped.

"Kid-kun!" Patty cried, knocking down both Kid and Liz in a reunion hug.

Soul chuckled and looked at Maka, who was smiling and clutching her hands to her chest. He smiled gently at her. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over at Black*Star, who flashed him a fanged grin. His hunger now satiated, Black*Star's eyes had gone back from red to their usual blue-green.

"Hey, man. So we're all vamps now, huh?"

Soul chuckled once, crossing his arms. "Guess so. So why didn't you decide to tell anyone you were back from the dead before just up and walking away?"

"Huh? Hell, I dunno. I think I was going after Tsubaki...don't even know why."

Soul raised an eyebrow. He slowly grinned, then began laughing. Everyone turned and gave him a funny look.

"What's so funny?" Maka asked.

"Just think..." he laughed, "We went through all this hassle...we were so fucking traumatized, and we all had that stupid DNA antidote thing. What are the chances?"

Maka cocked her head, seriously considering what he had said. After all, what _were_ the chances? All three of them having the antidote in their DNA?

Kid groaned from behind Maka, making her turn to look at him.

"Ahhh...I feel like I've just had dental surgery," he moaned, gingerly touching his fangs. Liz sympathetically patted his shoulder while Patty laughed.

Soul turned to Black*Star, but, unable to meet his eyes, looked down at the ground.

"Hey," Black*Star said, "what's goin' on?"

Soul raised an eyebrow, stuffing his fists in his pockets. "Well...I kinda killed you both, you know."

Black*Star was quiet for a minute. "Yeah...now I remember. Well, now that you mention it, you're right, you did kind of eat us alive, so..."

No-one even saw Black*Star's fist move; all they saw was Soul flying through the wall into the bathroom. Everything was quiet for a minute, then Soul groaned and stood, now visible through the massive hole in the wall. He was cut up and already bruising everywhere, but only grinned and gave the others a thumbs-up.

"I deserved that."

Black*Star smiled, then looked around for a second. "Hey, where's—Tsubaki!" Black*Star turned and raced towards his dazed partner, still sprawled on the floor. He knelt next to her, frantically worrying over her. "Tsubaki! Are you okay?! What happened?!"

Tsubaki only sighed.

Soul was climbing back through the hole his body had made, throbbing all over. His foot caught and he fell face-first onto the floor. He groaned; an uncoordinated vampire, huh? Sighing, he lifted his head and saw a black high heel in front of him. He craned his neck to look up at Liz, who glared down at him, fists on her hips. She leaned down and bared her teeth at him. Soul's vampiric instincts took this as a threat and he had to stop himself from doing the same.

"Don't think that just because those two boys ended up coming back I'm gonna forgive you," she growled. "You killed my partner and Black*Star. Ate them alive! And Maka might forgive you just because she loves you _so much_ , but I'm not that stupid."

Soul shot into a standing position and, while he was somewhat shorter than her, somehow managed to loom over her.

"Maka is _not_ stupid." He wanted to yell at her that he hadn't meant to kill them and that he didn't choose to and that her partner was back, so she should just calm the fuck down, but he knew that she was right. He was lucky that they were talking to him at all. Intentional or not, murder wasn't something you just forgave and forgot. He knew he deserved everything that had happened so far...and probably more.

After some time, Soul took Maka home. Things were awfully quiet and strained. Maka spent a lot of time silently thinking. She was relieved that both the boys were, for the most part, alright, but at the same time, she seemed a little torn over Soul. Should she be mad at him for killing the boys still? Did he deserve to be forgiven because they turned up okay? She supposed them coming back didn't excuse the fact that he had still killed them.

She knew he didn't deserve forgiveness...and yet, she couldn't bring herself to stay mad at him somehow. Yes, she was still afraid of him because of what she'd witnessed. She would never forget all the blood and the grisly bodies of her friends. But still, she trusted him. She couldn't even say why. Maybe it was that she had trusted him so long that she didn't know how to stop. Maybe she just didn't have anyone else she could trust...

Maybe, despite all the pain he'd caused, despite the murder, despite these conflicted feelings of hers, despite the fact that she really should never trust him again, just maybe, she loved him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Stein was in his lab later than he probably should have been. Hours later, in fact. It was almost midnight; he should have gone home almost eight hours ago. But he had to confirm this, repeat the test results. There was no way this could be real. And if it was...well then, by God, he would make a discovery beyond anything the human race had accomplished.

He adjusted the focus on his microscope. He examined the cell, then looked back at the image on his computer. He checked and double-checked a few more times, then grinned.

"So that's what you are."

He jotted down a few notes in his notebook. At last. He had decoded part of the vampire's venom. It was only a small part...

...but that only meant he was one small part closer to solving one of the biggest mysteries of humankind—vampires.

* * *

Maka rolled over onto her back, arms crossed over her stomach. Damn it, she had had her eyes closed for nearly twenty minutes in her most comfortable position, light off and everything, and still couldn't sleep. She had to face it: she just wasn't tired. She sighed.

She sat up, tossing off the covers. Sitting at the edge of her bed, she tugged the light pull on her lamp. A soft glow was cast across her room. She stretched her arms above her head; forcing herself into one position for a while had stiffened up her muscles. Yawning, she turned back around and sat up, leaning back against the headboard, hugging her knees to her chest.

All she could think about was Soul.

His hair, his eyes, his clothes, his voice, the smell of him...he was just amazing all around. She had had a crush on him since...well, forever, but for some reason this seemed stronger than a crush. She had a hard time looking into his eyes. The smell of his cologne mixed in with his natural scent covered her mind with a haze. She longed for his touch, his embrace, even the sting of his fangs piercing her skin. She wanted his kiss. She trusted him with everything...

 _Oh, never mind the fact that he killed the other two boys in cold blood..._ said the logical part of her brain. _Here, why don't we repeat some of those horrifying images?_

Maka sighed and buried her chin in her knees. She glanced at the clock. 11:11. She closed her eyes.

 _I wish I could just...I don't know. Love him without guilt, I guess._

She sighed again. What exactly _was_ this feeling weighing down her heart? There was a tightening in her chest every time she thought about her partner, or, more specifically, her feelings toward him.

Was it confusion? Was it fear of rejection? Was it insecurity? Or was it pure and simple fear of him?

"You're not afraid of me."

Maka gasped and pressed herself against the headboard, hand to her heart, making sure it resumed beating. There, at the edge of her bed, was Soul, in all his fanged glory. He stared at her intensely.

"If you were, you wouldn't want me in here alone with you." He lithely crawled up to her until he was nearly on top of her, staring deeply into her eyes. Maka's breath went shaky. Looking up into those maroon eyes, turned to the color of wine by what little light shone through the window, she could feel in her trembling soul that he was right. She wasn't afraid of him. She should have been...but she wasn't. So...so what was this feeling? This heavy, sinking feeling?

"I know what it is," he murmured, sending shivers down her spine.

"Wh-wh-what is it?"

"You're ashamed of what you feel," he said, almost forlornly. "You know you shouldn't trust me. You know it's wrong, but you can't stop yourself." As he spoke, his eyes wandered over her, down from her eyes to her lips, then down her neck and stopping at the collar of her pajama top. The sound of her heartbeat was loud enough that he could practically feel it; hell, it was starting to recalibrate his own.

He lifted his eyes back up to hers. "Why do you still trust me, Maka? Ask yourself that."

Biting her lip, she responded, "I-I dunno...I-I just...well...I-I guess I just...do?"

"Hmm," he mused, his eyes searching hers. Finally, he plopped down beside her and sighed. "I'm sure you know. You just need to figure it out."

Maka sat in a stunned silence for a moment, registering what the hell had just transpired. She looked over at Soul, sprawled out like he owned the place…she sighed quietly and laid down on her side, facing him.

"Soul?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep," he said casually, putting his arms behind his head. "I sensed that you were still awake, too, so I thought I'd drop in here for a little midnight snack...if that's alright with you," he murmured, side-eyeing the blonde. Maka blushed bright red, unsure if she was supposed to pick up the innuendo in his words. But, she supposed, with looking at her like that and being…him, it just couldn't be helped. She gulped.

"Y-yeah, I...I guess...I mean—"

"Okay, so I lied."

"Huh?" Her head snapped in the direction of his barely-visible figure, confusion, embarrassment, and a pinch of frustration in her face.

Soul sighed, running a hand through his hair. Maka thought the gesture looked odd on him; it made him appear almost…anxious? "Actually," he said, "I came in here to ask about your little... _request_ earlier."

The memory flashed through her mind: " _Kiss me_." She flushed.

"S-S-Soul, I...I-I didn't...it was just..."

"Don't try to cover your ass, Maka. I heard you loud and clear, and I can tell when you're lying. I don't need a psychic connection to know that."

Maka was speechless. Soul met her eyes again. His expression was what Maka could only describe as his usual one—apathetic and slightly irked—but it softened. He rolled over onto his left side so he faced her. Situated maybe ten inches from her, Soul murmured, "Can I kiss you, Maka?"

She gasped and stuttered, stumbling over her words. She honestly wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to— _God_ she wanted to...

"B-but..."

"But what?"

"Well I-I mean…you heard Stein, and—"

He put a finger to her lips. "Shh...don't worry, Maka. Just one kiss. No-one ever has to know…if you're cool with it."

Maka looked into his eyes. And then, she knew why she trusted him still. Those weren't the eyes of a killer. Those were the eyes of a confused boy who had been unready to die and was just trying to get on with his normal, teenage life, even after having been turned into something very, very abnormal.

Never mind the fangs; those were the eyes of her partner.

And so, she nodded. With a slight gulp, he leaned in, ever so slowly. He leaned closer to her until each could feel the other's breath on their face. Still gazing into each other's eyes, they gently touched their lips together. The jolt of electricity that ran through their bodies was wonderful; it made them shiver, but in a good way, a way that made them want more.

Maka sighed and closed her eyes as Soul pressed his lips onto hers harder. Then, just as quickly, he pulled away. Maka looked up at him, reading the reaction in his deep red eyes, the faint blush dusted across his face. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in again, surprising the boy somewhat.

"One more," she breathed. A brief hesitation, and Soul sighed, happily wrapping his arms around her and obeying. He held the small girl close to him, an old, suppressed affection turning into a need, a craving for her that made his chest ache. Maka tightened her grip on the soft cotton of his shirt, trying to pull him closer. Nervous though she had been, she found that she liked the way this felt.

Losing all her inhibitions.

Completely forgetting all the bad things happening in her life.

And just enjoying the closeness of her partner.

Soul moaned softly, breaking apart from her and lifting himself up. Maka sat up in response, thinking briefly that he was leaving; however, he only adjusted his position to hover over her again. He put his hands on either side of her face and turned his head to kiss her at a different angle. Maka shivered, a quiet sound akin to a whimper escaping her throat. She lifted her still-shaking hands to his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his skin; she was burning everywhere he touched her. She slid her hands up his shoulders, under his arms, to tangle her fingers in his hair, just as he broke the kiss. He didn't pull back from her, only laid his forehead against hers, breathing a little heavier now and running one hand through her loose blonde hair.

Maka couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. She felt relaxed, she felt safe, and she felt happy, really happy, for the first time in what felt like forever. She couldn't help but smile when Soul moved his lips to her cheek, then to the edge of her jaw and then the side of her neck, sliding his warm hands down her shoulders.

Soul pressed his lips to Maka's skin, just above her carotid artery, feeling her pulse quicken. Her grip tightened in his hair. He felt his own breath hasten at the sound of her heart, the metallic scent of the blood rushing through her veins, the feeling of her arms around his neck and her delicate, but strong hands in his hair. He couldn't help himself. He wanted her.

Questions swirled in the back of his mind: Was it normal for a vampire to feel like this? Was it normal for him to want a human like this? Was it just because he was young? Wasn't this supposed to be forbidden?

Did he even care?

He kissed back up her neck and jawline before finally connecting with her mouth once more, gently running his hands up and down her upper arms. The need for her was getting unbearably intense, but he didn't want to push her. He had to stop himself from going too far too fast.

Soul started when he heard a gasp from his partner, and a familiar coppery taste hit his tongue. A moment of reflection, and Soul realized their kissing had gotten so intense, he had accidentally caught her lip. There was a dot of red growing in the spot he had pierced her.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he blurted out. The blood on his tongue was tugging at his instincts, but for the first time, he managed to quiet the violent intrusive thoughts.

"No, it's alright," she assured him, lifting a hand to her mouth. She looked at the small smear of blood on her index fingertip for a bit, then back up at Soul. She could see the inner conflict in his eyes—the instinctive hungry glint, combined oddly with a guilty worry.

Carefully, she lifted the finger to his mouth and licked the remaining blood off her lip—knowingly, yet for no other reason than curiosity, tempting the beast.

It took Soul a moment to realize he had stopped breathing. Had she…was she…

He stopped trying to think. He gingerly took her hand, taking the fingertip into his mouth. He looked at the small girl, her eyes fixed on him with a fascinated stare. But there was something else beneath the pale green, almost like…

Soul's partner grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him back down to meet her lips. She gripped his hair with both hands, a small moan escaping her throat. Soul was shocked by her sudden eagerness, to say the least; he froze in place, uncertain how to proceed, simply letting Maka lose herself. Then, with a girlish whimper, she wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her leg against his, and whispered into his ear.

" _Soul…_ "

Maybe it was the way she said it, maybe it was the scent of her, the warmth of her body, the way he could just _feel_ how much she wanted him…he couldn't say for sure what made his stomach tighten up and his heart go into overdrive, but his eyes rolled back and he stopped trying to fight it. Soul grabbed Maka's small waist, yanking her toward him so that she landed on her back. He held her down by her shoulders as he kissed her roughly, his mouth trailing kisses and small bites down her neck to her collarbone; he still paid attention to her reactions, careful not to go too far, but his inhibition was long gone.

As Soul's hands moved to remove her bottoms, Maka found herself fumbling with the buttons on her top. After a few awkward panting seconds, the girl was left in her underwear, and the fledgling vampire in his sweatpants. Warm hands ran down hot, pale skin, lips and teeth connected anywhere they could, gentle moans and growls and gasps steadily pushed each partner a little closer to insanity. There was no longer much cognitive thought; the two were running purely on instinct, deep—

The phone rang outside. Soul snapped his head up from Maka's neck and made to leave.

"No!" Maka whined, trying to pull him back toward her, "Ignore it; it's probably just some prank caller."

"It's not," he assured her, getting up and walking out anyway, leaving her half naked, horny, and pouting.

Soul picked up the phone, trying to hide the pace of his breathing. "Yeah?"

"There you are, Soul," said Stein's voice. "I need you and Maka to come to the lab immediately."

Soul groaned. Just like the good old doctor to call at nearly midnight and not even ask if he had woken them...which, Soul thought, he hadn't, so...he looked back at Maka's bedroom door, where she stood, now wrapped in a robe and looking utterly betrayed. Soul sighed.

"Yeah, we'll be right there," he said, hanging up the phone. He walked back up to Maka, who immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling her face into his neck. He returned her embrace, holding her for a little bit, then pulled back and looked—not without effort—into her practically pleading eyes.

"Listen, Maka," he murmured. "Just go back in your room, put your clothes on, and come with me, okay? We'll talk about this when we get home."

He kissed her gently. Visibly disappointed, Maka nodded and obeyed. Soul, meanwhile, found another shirt, and threw his jacket and shoes on. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He should _not_ have let that happen. He knew he shouldn't have. He was going to have to talk to Stein about what to do.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

As Soul pulled into the driveway of Stein's lab, Maka clung tightly to his back. She still remembered the feeling of his lips and tongue on hers. She still felt his searing mouth on her skin, his fang piercing her lip, albeit accidentally. She remembered, with almost uncomfortable clarity, the rush of sexual desire that had bloomed inside her body with his venom. She remembered the shivers down her spine. She had felt just how much she wanted him, and how he, in turn, wanted her.

But now, she felt nothing from him. He was cutting her off completely.

Soul helped Maka down from the bike, careful not to touch her in a way that would seem too intimate. He could tell that whatever had gotten into her was still very much there, just slightly more dormant now that they weren't actively…going at it. He had blocked Maka out of his mind to keep her from seeing the doubt and fear piling up inside it.

What had he been thinking? He remembered the spot of blood welling up on her lip. He could have seriously hurt or even killed her. If he had lost control for even a second…

More images flashed by, complete with the feelings that had accompanied them, as though they were still present—the kissing, the way they'd embraced each other, the way she'd said his name, the tightness in his chest from wanting her so damn bad. And then, still another, the most important, he tried to tell himself—how badly he wanted to _bite_ her. The heat as his lips drifted over the major artery in her neck, his instincts screaming at him to not just bite down, but _drain_ her. If he had lost control…

He admitted to himself that he loved her; regardless, he couldn't let it happen again.

The two walked up to the doors of Stein's lab, walking in an uncomfortable silence down through the dark hallway until they found him in the room at the end. He was typing away at a computer, muttering to himself and glancing back every now and then at the microscope next to him. Soul cleared his throat and Stein turned and looked at them, almost genuinely surprised.

"Oh. There you two are."

"What was it you wanted to see us for?" Soul asked, crossing his arms. Behind him, Maka stretched and yawned. Stein beckoned them over.

"Here," he said, "look into this microscope."

Tired, confused, and overall stressed out, Soul approached the microscope and looked. He then pulled back and looked at Stein with a raised eyebrow. "And what exactly am I looking at?"

"Your venom," Stein answered a little too cheerily, turning back to his computer and tapping away at the keyboard. "Or, rather, part of it. I left it to set for a little while and it separated."

"Separated?"

"Yes. Much in the way that blood would. I might not have been able to see the places where it separated had I not been staring at it like an author with writer's block. So, I took each of the three different sections and placed them each in their own vial. Now, I'm studying them each individually. This particular section, I found," he said, a graph of some kind appearing on his computer, "is a liquid closely resembling the essence of _passiflora incarnata_ , or the passionflower."

"And…what exactly is that?" Soul asked.

"An aphrodisiac," Stein said simply. "The passionflower's vine, leaves, and stem contain chemicals that both enhance sexual desire and produce a calming effect, along with relieving depression and even decreasing pain."

"Huh. Sounds like a useful flower, I guess." _Sure fucking explains Maka tonight._

"Indeed…but after studying the chemical makeup of the aphrodisiac in your venom and comparing it to that of the passionflower, it appears as if instead of producing a calming effect, the venom instead _weakens_ the victim, to the point of them collapsing, even."

"I can see how that part might be relevant, but what use would a drug to get your victim horny be to a vampire?"

"I have no idea. My best guess would be that perhaps the sexually enhancing properties aren't intended for human victims, that maybe it's for engaging in sexual activity with other vampires, but I couldn't know unless I somehow observed vampires in their natural habitat, wherever that is."

Soul sighed. "Well if this is all you knew, why'd you drag us out here?"

"Just to let you know I made progress." Stein turned back around in his chair to look at them. "You can go back home if you like."

Soul pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked back at Maka, who had fallen soundly asleep sitting against the wall. Soul could sense that whatever had been in her system—probably the aphrodisiac—had pretty much faded now. He remembered what he had been thinking about earlier and turned back to Stein.

"Actually, I have a couple questions."

"Hm?"

"Well…see…" Soul turned somewhat red. Normally for these questions, he would consult the internet, but, this was a special case. "I-is it normal for a vampire to…well…get turned on?"

Looking at him evenly, Stein replied, "Yes. Vampires have to reproduce, too."

"Why? Can't they just go around turning humans and taking over the world or something?"

"I thought I explained this. Even if vampires were to try and turn humans, there are several risks involved: mainly, the extremely low rate of survival. Secondly, the risk of getting themselves killed. Also, vampires are normally very secluded; they're not generally known to do something like trying to take over the world. Think about it, why would they? Then there's the fact that even if they did somehow wipe out the human race completely, they would all die out eventually anyway. Therefore, reproduction is pretty much essential either way."

There was silence for a little bit. Then, Soul dared to ask, "So…what would happen if a human and a vampire were to have a baby together?"

"That's just the problem, Soul. Nobody knows. Some believe that it would be pretty much the most dangerous being on earth. Some theorize that it would attempt to cannibalize itself, a living paradox. Still more choose to believe that it would be a normally functioning person, able to survive off both human food and blood. The 'law'"—he used air-quotes—"is in place so that no-one finds out the hard way."

Soul nodded slowly, then turned back to look at Maka.

"And one more thing."

"Hm?"

"…what will happen to me and Maka? Our partnership?"

Stein took his glasses off and cleaned them on his lab coat, sighing. "Well…I've thought about that a bit myself. I was afraid to have to tell you this, Soul, but…vampires…they're literally the undead. They have no soul. And without a soul," he looked at Soul solemnly, "chances are you wouldn't be able to match soul wavelengths with her. Which means you may never be able to partner with her in that way again."

Something died inside of Soul just then. Never be able to partner with her again…he couldn't imagine never feeling her firm grip on him again, never feeling that adrenaline rush of being swung through the air…he would lose almost everything he had with her. But he hid his disappointment as best he could.

"Well…I better get Maka home."

Soul walked over to Maka and picked her up bridal style, but before he walked out, he turned and asked, "Hey, Stein. One more thing. If that antidote is so rare, how did all three of us have it?"

"Kid most likely had it because he is literally Death himself. As for you and Black*Star…"

Pushing his glasses back on, Stein said simply, "Sheer dumb luck."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

"Hey, Soul," Maka said, rousing him from his catnap on the couch. "We should go out and do something together."

"Why?" he grumbled.

"Well, we haven't in such a long time...ever since all that crap six months ago, we've been training the other two boys and kind of teaching them how to function in society and all that..."

She wandered over to the window and propped her chin up on the windowsill. As she gazed out at the twinkling, night-shrouded city, she mused, "We haven't even gone on a mission because you can't turn into a weapon anymore..."

Soul's heart sank. He remembered it, too. Some months ago, they had gone on a group mission with Black*Star and Tsubaki. Naturally, those two could work together just fine, Tsubaki could still transform and they fought together like normal, but Soul...despite Stein's warning that he wouldn't be able to, he tried. He had focused on pulling his soul wavelength inside out, focused on dissolving into a scythe...according to Maka, who had been watching, he had glowed temporarily, looking like he was straining himself, but he couldn't transform.

They couldn't leave the other two alone; Maka had had to sit on the sidelines while Soul fought the kishin with only his fangs and Black*Star.

Sighing, Soul looked down at where his ankles were crossed, propped up on the arm of the couch.

"So," he said after a moment of silence, "why do you suddenly wanna go out now? It's almost ten o'clock at night."

"Well, I can't sleep, and I know you're most active at night, so..."

"Yeah, but...why?"

"Well, think about it, Soul!" she cried, turning around and throwing her hands in the air. Putting her hands on her hips, she told him, "Last time we did something together was more than three months ago, remember? We went out and saw Twilight and you were so horrified you dragged me out not ten minutes into the movie."

"Oh my fucking God, don't remind me," Soul groaned, swiping a hand down his face. He remembered that, too. He had driven home complaining that he'd never be able to show his face in public again. The next day at least three people on the street asked him to pull down the hood of his sweater so they could "see if he sparkled." And that was not _nearly_ as bad as all the sudden fangirls...

They were primarily new or younger students who weren't as familiar with the situation. They had just seen the movie, heard that there were real, walking, breathing vampires on campus, and ran with it. Soul had finally broken down and ran after a particularly daring girl had—well, he assumed it was supposed to be seductively—made a small cut on the side of her neck in front of him, inviting him to "take a little drink."

 _"That is it!_ " Soul had told Maka when she got home, him still in a slight frenzy. _"I am dropping! You hear me?! Dropping! Out of school! And probably never leaving this house again!_ "

And he hadn't, for about a week. He sighed, standing up.

"Alright, then. What do you wanna do?"

She looked at him, cocking her head. "Well...I've been thinking...the stars are supposed to be really bright tonight...but we'll never be able to see it here. Why don't we go out somewhere in the country?"

"And stargaze?"

She shrugged. "Yeah."

"Okay," Soul said nonchalantly. Before Maka could ask if he was serious, he had his keyring in hand and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her out the door into the warm nighttime air.

* * *

Maka and Soul were fairly far out from the city now, not too far, but far enough that the glare of the lights didn't get in the way of the stars. Far enough that there shouldn't be any traffic out, especially not at this hour. Soul took a moment parking the bike, and as he finished he heard Maka's voice:

"Soul…" it was a breathy noise, a sigh almost. "Come look at this."

Soul did as he was told, coming up and standing next to Maka. He followed her gaze, up into the sky, where the stars glittered brighter than they'd ever seen them. They looked so much bigger, and there were so many more of them...there had to be trillions just in this little section of sky alone.

Maka had a bit of a love for astronomy, an appreciation for the infinite size and complexity of the universe. She stared, fascinated, into the sky, then reached over and took Soul's hand. He looked at their hands intertwined for a moment. He seated himself in a semi-soft patch of plant life, and Maka followed, leaning against his shoulder. Together they stared up at the stars, not saying a thing.

Maka smiled softly.

"Hey, Soul."

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking...well, you know, the earth is really big compared to us and all, but you could fit a million Earths into the sun..."

"Mhm?" He turned to look at her. She was still staring, spellbound, into the sky.

"And then the sun looks barely existent next to stars like Eta Carinae...and even that looks puny next to Betelgeuse, which is only about half the size of the largest star in the universe...it's a billion times larger than the sun...and the sun is a million times the size of Earth...and then there's us. Just kinda makes you think about how insignificantly small you are, huh?"

Soul laughed. "Yeah, but don't say that to Black*Star."

She laughed as well, then pointed into the sky. "Look! A falling star!"

Soul playfully grabbed her shoulders, circling one arm around her and holding her close. "Quick, make a wish!" he grinned. He looked over at her as she stared up into the sky. After a little while, she grinned. Soul smiled affectionately at her. She had been right; this was a good idea. Especially after that "Twilight" fiasco...he found that he just loved being here with her. It was just the two of them, underneath the stars...but best of all, she was happy. That was something that he just didn't get to see a lot anymore. He took a mental picture in his mind of this moment.

"Hey, Soul?"

Soul snapped out of his trance. "Yeah?"

She didn't actually say anything, just leaned over, kissed his cheek, and put her head on his shoulder. Soul looked at her and smiled, rubbing her back a little bit. He squeezed her lightly as the two of them looked back up at the twinkling sky. _This is perfect_ , Soul thought. Just sitting with his partner, his mate, looking at the clear, sparkling sky, crickets and owls singing, and holding her in his arms. He knew that this moment couldn't last forever, but he committed every detail to memory—the cool air, Maka's warmth, even the steady rhythm of her breathing—so that he could hold onto the memory forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

Maka woke slowly and reluctantly. Her eyes eased open and she tried to blink away the light. When she saw the clock, she groaned and threw her pillow over her head. It was still half an hour before she had to wake up for school. She laid there for a minute or two, then decided it was no use going back to sleep; she had gone to bed too early last night. She threw her covers off and got up to go to the bathroom. She was just sulking toward the door when she heard Soul grumbling behind it.

"Soul?" she called out sleepily. "You okay?"

He swore before answering.

"Sort of. Yes— _fuck!_ —I think—damn it—maybe—SON OF A—" he paused, and Maka stood confused, wondering whether to worry. Finally, she heard a sigh.

"Can you come help me?" he finally asked. A little wary, Maka opened the door to see Soul by the sink, pouting. He had a blow dryer in one hand and a comb in the other. Maka must have had a questioning look on her face, because Soul gestured to the mirror and explained, "it's a little difficult to do this when you can't see yourself."

Maka chuckled and shook her head, making her way to her frustrated partner. Taking the comb out of his hand and beginning to work through the damp tangles, she inquired as to why he was bothering messing with his hair when he knew he had no reflection (a fact she herself had yet to get used to; Soul didn't spend much time in front of a mirror. She kept glancing at the one above the sink.)

"I forgot to take a shower last night, so since I was up anyway, I took one now. You know I hate going in public with wet hair," he told her. She giggled at his narcissism. She took her time combing through his hair, slowly letting his scent wake her up. He smelled like heaven, which, considering what he was, she found somewhat ironic. She sighed, catching another glimpse of the mirror. It showed her dragging the rattail comb through the air, her other hand resting on the same.

 _It's been so long_ , she thought. _The better part of a year, and I'm still not sure I'm used to all this._

She shook her head and ran the comb through his hair one more time, then picked up the blow dryer and turned it on low. As she dried his hair out section by section, she began to focus on the silence between them. It wasn't an awkward silence, necessarily; but it _was_ tense. The kind of silence that hangs between two people who want desperately to talk, but can't find anything to say. The kind of silence that's so prevalent you can almost hear each other's worrying thoughts. The kind of silence Maka wasn't quite used to.

 _Here. Is this better?_ came Soul's voice in her head. She had all but forgotten that he actually _could_ hear her thoughts...she heard a chuckle. _You know, your hair looks kinda cute when it's all messy like that._

She blushed. He smiled. She smiled back and told him, _Well, so does yours._

He chuckled and shook his head. Once his hair was dried and tamed, the two set out, Soul covered up in his hoodie. They walked along in comfortable silence, Maka clutching her books to her chest and Soul strolling along slightly behind, head down and hands in the front of his hoodie. Maka suddenly had a flashback to the last time they had walked down this street like this. Like... _normal_. The day all of this had started...

Maka's mind flashed through the old memories: the attack, Soul's "death," their mating, their first few nights together, the other two boys' murders, the panic and chaos that had ensued for some time afterward, their first kiss. Stopping in the middle of nowhere, cuddling and stargazing together, just the previous night...

 _"Maka-chan."_

 _"Mmm. Yes?"_

 _"...you're falling asleep."_

 _"Wha...no I'm not."_

 _"Yes you are."_

 _"Whatever."_

 _She tilted her face up, mentally shaking herself awake. It was true; she had been falling asleep on his shoulder, lulled into slumber by his warmth and the rhythm of his breathing. She looked at him, meeting those brilliant red eyes and holding his gaze, which somehow always made her heart start beating a little harder. She blushed. She couldn't help it; her partner, the most amazing man she knew, with whom she could no longer deny she was hopelessly in love, was looking at her like she was the most important thing in his universe. It was just the two of them, alone, holding each other under an inky, glittering sky. She silently wondered if she was going to wake up here any second._

 _Her lips were on his before she even realized it. While she had been marveling at the impossibility of this moment, he had leaned down to kiss her ever so gently. Closing her eyes and putting a hand to the side of his face, she kissed him back, wondering why this meant so much to people—to her—simply pressing your lips to someone else's...how does that provoke such a warm, radiating passion?_

 _Soul broke the kiss, but didn't pull back. "You think too much," he told her frankly, before returning to kissing her. She decided he was right, and devoted her thoughts to the present. She didn't know how long their lips were connected, when they started kissing more passionately, when they started biting at each other's lips and tugging at each other's hair, or when they started rolling over each other in the grass, but, at this point...she certainly didn't care._

Glancing back at Soul now, you'd never know that the previous night, they had shared the most shamelessly passionate, not to mention prohibited, time together. The thought made her smile just a little bit; knowing that they had something like that, something that just the two of them knew about. Then again, it made her wonder:

What did they have, really? What were they? After all, they really weren't allowed to be much more than weapon-meister partners, but by now Maka knew for certain that she had stronger feelings for him, and he for her. As she climbed the steps of the DWMA, she sighed. Well, what did it matter? It only frustrated her to think about it.

Soul strode up to her side and asked if she was okay. She nodded, citing "still waking up," and they walked along down the halls talking about normal things, like what Stein would be dissecting that day and what would be for lunch that day. They were just laughing about how the two subjects should not be spoken of one after the other when Maka opened the classroom door to a sight that made them both stop in their tracks.

Liz and Kid, finally realizing they were being stared at after a few seconds, broke their heated kiss apart, flustered.

"S-Soul...M-M-Maka...um...well..." Kid sputtered, straightening his dress shirt and his jacket, trying to pretend that he hadn't just been illicitly making out with the blonde. "Erm...you're here early..." his voice trailed off and his face flushed crimson.

Soul only raised an eyebrow, then gave Maka a sidelong glance.

 _Guess we can't really talk, now can we?_

She shrugged in response.

* * *

The classroom was buzzing with talk. Stein was twenty minutes late.

"He's usually late, but he's never _this_ late," Maka noted. Tsubaki nodded.

Liz added, "Any later and we may as well assume he's not coming."

"Hmm..." Maka racked her brains for any idea as to where he might be. She supposed the most logical reason was that he was talking to Lord Death about something important, or was doing something important, anyway; he had to be. She shrugged and turned around to face Tsubaki.

"So how've you guys been, Tsubaki…? Everything working out?"

Tsubaki nodded and smiled. "No problems thus far. He's been doing really well." She smiled gently, then said, "You know...everybody seems pretty used to us, the boys are doing well, we've all fallen into kind of a pattern now...it's almost like everything's... _normal_ again. Isn't it?"

Maka mulled that thought over. Tsubaki was right. The fangs, the feedings, the lack of reflections, everything that they had struggled to get through just months before, now pretty much seemed routine. Now all their concerns were focused back on school, on petty teenage romances and hormones, on...normal things.

"Normal." Something that most ordinary teenagers dread. To Maka, it seemed like such a nice thing now. She looked around her and for once, noticed little things: Soul's hair, spiky and unkempt, and nonetheless he was very meticulous about the placing of his headband; Black*Star's careless way of sitting, feet propped up on the table, hands behind his head, snoring away; Liz and Kid holding hands under the desk when they thought nobody was looking. All these little things, they were so ordinary, and somehow, that made Maka smile.

For fifteen more minutes, she conversed with Soul and the others about the latest gossip, new missions, overdue homework, and repairs and rearranging that Soul planned on doing with the apartment (at which Maka laughed and pointed out that he couldn't even find the remote when she put it on the other arm of the couch). Then twenty. Then thirty.

Maka glanced at her watch. "Class is about to let out."

"And he's still not here?" Soul moaned. "I could have gone back home. Taken a nap. Maybe eaten something."

Maka shook her head. "I just don't understand..."

The door finally opened. Everyone went silent. Stein was standing in the doorway. Not breaking down the door with his wheeled chair like he normally did. Just standing there with a grave expression. The whole class stared at him dumbfounded, wondering what had happened that he hadn't shown up all class period, and when he finally did, his expression clearly said something was very wrong.

He strolled to the front of the classroom, dragging the door shut behind him. Standing behind the desk at the front of the room, he looked around, put his hands on top of the desk, and finally stated, "I apologize for showing up so late, but you'll understand the reason soon. I need you to understand, firstly, that as of right now, nobody leaves their classrooms unless pulled out over the intercom by Lord Death."

Half the class groaned in frustration, and the other half gasped. Maka and Soul looked at Stein with shocked eyes. Stein put his hands up for silence.

"You see, there was...an accident last night. And we need to question each student individually about it. I can't explain exactly what happened, but what I can tell you is this."

Everybody sat on the edge of their seats, perking their ears to hear his explanation.

"One of your classmates was murdered last night."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

The class was buzzing with whispers, despite Stein's repeated commands to be quiet and listen for the intercom. Soul tried to tune out the hisses of rumors that were already flying; apparently, he was given the ability to hear people better, but not to shut them out. They were all speculating as to the story behind the murder:

"I thought I heard gunshots last night…"

"I heard crazy Old Man Johnson arguing with someone the other night. Sounded pretty serious."

"That was his wife, idiot. He said it was a student."

And, of course, the majority of the gossip was inevitably aimed at him.

"It's gotta be him…"

"Him or one of his buddies."

"I'll bet he went nutso again...just like he did that one time."

Soul buried his head in his arms, trying to shut the voices up, but to no avail. He sighed as Maka sympathetically rubbed his head. He peeked up at her with one eye.

"Don't listen to them, Soul. I know it couldn't have been you."

"That's what I'm trying to do," he groaned. "Apparently you don't get to choose what you can hear and what you can't."

"Well, how did you tune people out before you had increased hearing? You just ignored them, right?" She rubbed his back in an attempt to be soothing. Soul sighed and closed his eyes, trying to relax, make up for the sleep he had missed while chaos continued in his ears.

A few minutes later, a student came back into the classroom and the intercom called Maka to the Death Room. Soul perked his head up. They were calling students based on suspicion. Did they really think Maka could have done it? He felt his blood starting to boil. As Maka started down the steps and to the door, she glanced back at Soul, who gave her a supportive, yet strained nod. She gave him a small smile and a nod in return, and left the room. Soul put his chin back on his arms, staring at Stein, who appeared to be doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, Soul," came Black*Star's voice. "What's goin' on?"

Soul gave him an incredulous stare. "What do you mean 'what's going on'? Somebody was killed last night."

"So? Have you seen our line of work recently? Students don't die all the time, but it's not uncommon."

"That's the thing," Kid cut in. "My father told me she wasn't killed on a mission. She was murdered. Torn to ribbons, according to the police."

"She?" Soul looked around the room for any missing girls. Kim and Jacqueline were gone, so were about four others. He looked back at Kid. "Did he tell you who?"

Kid shook his head. "Something about plausible deniability."

Soul turned back to Black*Star. "Anyway, they suspect it was another student for some reason, so they're questioning us in order of suspicion, I suppose…"

Black*Star gnawed his lower lip slightly, careful not to cut himself on a fang. "Soul...they don't think…"

 _They don't think it was us?_

' _Course they do, idiot. We're vampires, so we must be nasty, bloodthirsty creatures that get off on killing things._

 _Well…_

 _Yeah, I know we are. Just...try to tell yourself that we're not like that to make yourself feel better. That's what I do._

It didn't take long for Maka to return. As she came in and shut the door behind her, Soul got a negative vibe off of her; she was mad. He was about to ask her about it, when the intercom came on and called _him_ into the Death Room. He gulped. Of course they'd suspect him. He stood, feeling fifty sets of eyes burning holes into him. Ignoring their nasty looks, he started down the steps.

As he passed Maka, she met his eyes. Although it was only for a second, she was able to send him a message: _They think it was you. Be careful._

Giving her a tiny nod that told him he understood, he headed out the door. He sighed, grateful to be out of the class's sight. He could practically hear the dramatic music all the way to the door. After taking a few seconds to relax, he stuffed his fists in his pockets and sauntered down the hallway toward the Death Room.

He knew he was in deep shit. He didn't know who was going to be there when he got there, but he knew just his being a vampire was going to hinder things. _He_ knew he was innocent, but he also knew that there were probably a billion factors that made it look like he wasn't. He couldn't very well tell them where he was last night. Either they wouldn't believe him, or he and Maka would be caught...he didn't want to think about what would happen then.

He pursed his lips as he reached the Death Room doors. He had to protect Maka, and himself. He'd probably have to lie.

"Take a seat, Soul," Sid told him, gesturing to the singular chair on his side of the table. Soul hesitated a second before obeying. He leaned back and looked around, waiting for the first question.

"Now, Soul," Lord Death began, "we need you to understand that this matter is of grave importance. Whoever killed this student must be caught before he strikes again. Now, I'm not saying that we think it was you—"

"Of course we think it was him!" Spirit objected, earning him a Death Chop. Soul jumped at the suddenness and ferocity of the hit, and mentally noted that he shouldn't be a smartass. That could be _him,_ after all…

"Anyway," Lord Death continued, "I'm not saying it was you, but we need evidence to support your innocence...what's the old saying?"

"'Guilty until proven innocent'," Azusa said without looking away from the papers on the cork board.

"I'm pretty sure it's the other way around…" Marie stammered. Azusa ignored her.

"I don't like to distrust my students," Sid added. "That's not the kind of man I was. But, just to be safe, we need you to promise that you're not going to lie to us."

Soul lifted an eyebrow. "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Got it. You want me to put my hand on a Bible?"

Azusa and Spirit gave him a disapproving glare. He looked away and crossed his arms.

"Okay," Sid began. "Firstly, we need to know where you were last night."

"At home. Where I always am."

"Maka was with you, correct?"

"Yeah."

"What were you two doing?"

Soul raised an eyebrow again, thinking they were being unusually thorough. "We did some grocery shopping right after school, got home, put the groceries up, I made dinner, then Maka went to do her homework and I laid down for a nap." This wasn't entirely lies. That _was_ what had happened up till an hour or so before they had gone out.

"Did she feed you?" Spirit jumped in, leaning over the table to get in his face. Soul scowled.

"'Course she did. She does every night."

"You sure?" Spirit snarled. "You haven't had any recent _incidents_ since Kid and Black*Star?"

Sid put a hand on Spirit's shoulder, tugging him back. "That's enough, Spirit."

"Yes, I'm sure," Soul assured him, clenching his teeth in rage. "Ever since then we've been especially careful."

"Alright, alright." Azusa stepped in front of Spirit, looking at Soul through her rectangular glasses. "Onto the next question. How well did you know Kim Diehl?"

Soul was taken slightly aback by the question. "Kim? It was her?"

"Just answer the question."

He thought for a second. "Well...to be honest, I didn't really know her at all. We talked a couple of times, but I wouldn't call her a friend."

It hit him then: Kim and Maka were pretty good friends. That was why they had suspected her. He gulped as Marie jotted something down on the notebook she was holding.

"Close to any of your other friends?" Azusa queried.

"Um...yeah, she and Maka talked quite a bit. Other than that, no. None of us knew her."

Azusa nodded and went back to the cork board, seeming to analyze whatever was written on them closely.

"Um...Azusa?" he heard Marie murmur.

"Hm?"

"Isn't Justin supposed to be here? I mean...he said he could help us with the truthfulness thing…"

"I'll call him when we're done here. Poor idiot probably got stuck in a tree or something…"

"Okay, one more question," Sid said, getting Soul's attention again. "Did Maka or anybody else you know fight with her recently?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I haven't. Maka would have told me if she did. I know the others didn't talk to her. But, you want my opinion? Look at Ox. He was obsessed with her. He always did seem a little crazy to me."

"We'll keep that in mind. You can go."

Soul nodded and stood, bowed to Lord Death, and turned to leave. He was halfway out and into the hallway when he was shoved against the wall. He instinctively bared his fangs at his attacker...only to see that it was Spirit, holding him against the wall by his collar.

"Listen here, you little shit," Spirit sneered. "They might think you're innocent, but I don't believe that for a minute. I don't trust you around my little girl. You already killed those boys; you could easily hurt her—"

Soul pushed back on Spirit, now holding _him_ against the wall. Soul's murderous glare and the baring of his fangs made it clear that he was not in the mood to put up with Spirit's impudence.

"But I _haven't_ ," he bellowed. "I would _never_ so much as raise a _hand_ to Maka, and _you know it!_ " He turned his wrist, twisting Spirit's collar and pulling him closer. The two were nose-to-nose, and Soul growled, like a feral dog who had been challenged to a fight. Soul lowered his volume, but kept the threat in his voice as he said, "I promised to protect Maka the day I met her. No matter what happens, I have never even _threatened_ to hurt her. I've never hurt her, I've never attacked her, and I've never left her. I'm still taking care of her, and by the looks of it...I'm doin' a way better job than you are, old man."

Soul waited a second to watch Spirit's face contort into fury. After flashing his fangs one more time for effect, he dropped Spirit, turned around, and walked away.

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on and on, far too long for Soul's taste. There was nothing to but sit and listen to the gossip racing around the room. Maka finally suggested that he take a nap while they were waiting. He agreed, and as it turns out, he was sleeping through the rest of school.

Maka woke him up at the last bell. He gathered his wits about him and pulled on his orange hoodie before starting toward his motorcycle, Maka following behind him. He swung his leg over the bike and reached for his handlebars, then quickly retracted his hands at a sudden stinging sensation. When he looked down at them, he saw they were reddened, like he'd just taken them out of hot water. They tingled slightly. He looked at the handlebars, then back at his hands, which were starting to slowly go back to their original color.

"Soul?" Maka came up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He pressed his lips together; he had his hoodie to protect his torso, a helmet to protect his face, but he had forgotten his gloves somewhere. He always wore leather motorcycle gloves to protect his hands from the sun while he was driving, but today he didn't have them. He considered going back into the classroom to look for them, but then he figured there was no point; he wanted to go home, and so did Maka. While she was mounting the back seat, he pulled his sleeves over his hands, hoping that would be enough to save them.

No such luck. Not even halfway home, he discovered the stretched sleeves made it difficult for him to steer properly. He let the sleeves fall, and immediately felt the consequences. It was coming up on winter, but in this part of the country, it made the sun no less powerful. It began as just a buzzing, a tingling of heat, then quickly intensified, until his skin felt like it was being torn apart. The roaring of his motorcycle nearly overpowered Maka's worried query as to why he was driving so fast all of a sudden; Soul didn't even notice his speed. He just gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep his hands on the handlebars.

At long, long last, he screeched up to the curb outside their apartment complex, killing the engine and kicking the stand down as quick as he could, jamming his tortured hands into his hoodie pocket.

"Soul?! What the hell was that about?!" Maka cried, leaping off of the bike and coming to his side.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?! You were going ninety-five! You could've killed us!"

Maka continued to ask Soul what was going on until they got upstairs into their apartment. Soul slammed the door behind them, pulled off his hoodie, and examined his hands under the light. The backs of them had been badly burned by the sunlight, to the point where some of the blisters had burst, exposing raw skin. He was still gritting his teeth against the pain when Maka came over and looked over his shoulder. She covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh my God! Soul, what the hell?!"

"I forgot my gloves. I didn't want you to-"

"We have to get this fixed! Come on, hurry! It's gonna get infected. I can't believe you didn't tell me; you could have gotten seriously hurt! I mean, you already are..."

Soul sighed as he followed Maka into the bathroom. "...do exactly that," he finished his previous sentence.

He met Maka in the bathroom, where she sat on the edge of the bathtub sorting through the first aid kit. He sat down next to her and let her fix him up, fidgeting with the blisters, cleaning up the blood and pus, and finally medicating and wrapping both of his hands in gauze. He looked at her work and decided they'd probably be walking to school for a while; no way he was going to be able to hold on properly while his hands were like this. On the plus side, his hands felt better.

"Thanks, Maka," he said, looking up at her with a small smile. His smile vanished when he saw her looking down at her hands folded in her lap. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Maka…?"

She threw herself onto his chest, crying openly and shocking Soul half to death.

"I'm so sorry, Soul! It's all my fault! I never should have left you in the hands of that vampire! I could have saved you! Then they wouldn't be investigating you and your hands wouldn't be hurt and none of this would have happened!" Her words faded into sobs. She held Soul's shirt in her tightly-clenched fists. Soul sighed. Of course she would blame herself for him getting turned. Seeing her cry made his heart wrench like it was being crushed under the weight of her sadness. He had to do something to make her feel better...

"Maka...Maka, Maka, Maka." He began to pet her head, holding her close to him. "It's not your fault."

"But-"

"Hush. Listen. It wasn't your fault. None of it was your fault. Of course you ran; you were scared. Besides, I told you to run, Maka; I wanted you safe above all else. Maka, look at me, please." He tilted her chin up so he was looking into her glistening eyes. "It was _not_ your fault. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you need to understand: _there was nothing you could do._ Even if you _had_ tried to fight alongside me, it would have only ended up in both of us dying. And, believe me, I hate that you blame yourself, but I know you, and I know you're going to blame yourself anyway, no matter what I do, and I would rather have you believing it was because you _didn't try_ than because you _failed._ "

She stared at him with her huge green eyes, and he could see fresh tears begin to well up in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug, feeling the shoulder of his shirt start to dampen. He rubbed her back, mentally kicking himself.

 _Stupid idiot, you made it worse! Quick, think of something to say, think of something to say…_

"I'm just glad you're alive, Maka...it wasn't your fault. I promise."

 _Well, that wasn't the best you could have come up with._

"I'm glad you're alive, too, Soul," she hiccupped. "Sort of." She giggled a little, and Soul chuckled in response, putting a kiss on her forehead.

"Me, too. Maka-chan. Don't worry, everything's gonna be okay. I'll make damn sure of it."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

The glowering red numbers on the bedside table, grudgingly reminding the lonely teenager of just how late it was, provided the only light in the room. Maka, eyes drooping and hair undone and swirling carelessly around the pillow, turned away from the glowing 11:36. She knew she should be sleeping right now, but with her brain's current activity level, she couldn't hope to fall asleep.

Her brain ran through the recent events: the news of the murder, Soul being accused—albeit indirectly—of committing it, the injury to his hands…she tried not to think of what would happen if Soul _was_ officially charged with homicide; she knew too well that they would kill him, and probably Kid and Black*Star as well, just to be safe.

But the worst part was that there was no way for Maka to defend him; if she defended him by telling the truth about where he'd been, they'd find out that she and Soul were "involved," and they would at the very least be separated. But if Soul was charged with the murder of a student, he would die…

…for good this time.

Maka put her face in her hands and held back a sob. She couldn't stand the thought of losing Soul. She had known him for years; he was so much a part of her life now that she wasn't sure she could live without him.

She sat up and wiped the beginnings of tears from her eyes. She couldn't think about all this now…she sniffled and was reaching over to the bedside table for a Kleenex when she heard Soul's voice in her doorway.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

She jumped a bit, heretofore unaware that she wasn't the only one awake. She looked over at Soul. It was evident that he'd just gotten out of the shower; his hair was damp and messy, he was dressed only in his pajama pants, and the smell of his body wash permeated the room. He leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed and concern etched into his face.

"Soul," she said. "What are you doing up?"

He gestured to himself, as if to say "Well, what do you think?" She chuckled a little.

"I dunno, just…couldn't sleep, I guess," she murmured, looking down and running her fingers through her hair. Soul pushed himself off the doorframe and sauntered across her room, sitting down on the edge of her bed. He tilted her chin up.

"You've been crying," he noted. She bit her lip.

"Have not."

"Maka."

She sighed. She was too tired to argue. "I just…just…thinking too much, I guess."

Soul nodded. "Yeah, I can tell." He scooted up so that he was sitting cross-legged in front of her.

"How can you tell?" she asked wryly. He smirked.

"Maka, I've always been able to tell when you're upset. I've known you for years, remember?"

She nodded, vaguely noticing the resemblance between his comment and her own earlier internal monologue.

"Maka-chan…"

Maka looked up at her worried partner. Soul looked at her for a bit, put his hand on the back of her neck, leaned forward, and gently kissed her.

Perhaps Maka wouldn't normally have fought him, but with thoughts of losing him fresh in her mind, she pulled away.

"Soul…"

He sighed. "Maka, what's wrong?"

She chewed her lip nervously. "Just…I mean, you know, we could get in trouble and you could…"

Soul put a finger to her lips. "Hush, Maka. Relax; no one has to know." He ran his thumb across her cheek comfortingly. "This is just between you and me, remember?"

"But I—"

"Maka. You're not gonna lose me," he murmured, running his fingers soothingly through her hair now. He kissed her again. "I promise."

Soul could tell Maka was distressed, and he stared into her eyes, as if he could find a way to calm her in them. Gravity seemed to increase between them as they gazed at each other, slowly pulling them closer, a centimeter at a time.

Soul couldn't explain what he felt just then. It was almost like when he had used their bond to see into her head before, yet somehow deeper, more powerful. It was as if his mind and his partner's clicked together, and he could see into her thoughts, her feelings, see himself through her eyes. He saw his topless figure, his damp, silvery hair, the glint of his fangs, the way she saw them. He felt the feelings that they evoked in her: familiarity, security, admiration, desire…it was almost overwhelming.

Maka felt tears welling up in her eyes again as Soul pressed his lips against hers. This time, though, she didn't fight; instead she put her arms around his neck and accepted the kiss. Soul put his arms around her waist, lifting her into his lap. Then he leaned forward, laying her down carefully on her back and hovering over her.

As their kissing became more passionate, Maka trailed her hands through Soul's still-damp hair and down his bare back. Soul kept one hand on the bed to support himself and ran the other down her side, pushing her shirt up slightly to feel her skin. He gently bit her lip, careful where his fangs were, then kissed her again and began to drift away from her mouth, kissing her cheek, her jaw, and down her neck.

 _You're so beautiful…_ he thought, kissing her collarbone.

Maka blushed, ran her fingers through Soul's hair, holding him close to her as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck.

 _Everything's going to be okay, Maka,_ he told her, _I promise you that._

Maka nodded, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She turned her head and kissed his cheek, and he responded with a soft kiss on her lips. They didn't say anything to each other for some time, just held each other and occasionally exchanged slow, gentle kisses. Soul rolled over onto his side, holding his partner against his chest and petting her hair.

"Soul...can I tell you something?" Maka murmured, glancing over his shoulder and absently noticing that the lambent numbers on the clock now read five after midnight.

Soul nodded. "Always," he told her, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

Maka bit her lip. Now that she had gotten this far, she wasn't quite sure how to say what was on her mind. Well, if she was honest with herself, she knew exactly how to say it, but wasn't sure about the reaction she'd get. Her mind, usually sharp and rational, was now still, petrified all of a sudden, unable to form the simple words to describe her feelings.

She heard Soul's chuckle rumbling in his chest. He tilted her head up and kissed her gently on her forehead, and she smiled. The beauty of a relationship like theirs was that she didn't have to say anything; he knew.

And that was enough for her, she thought, nestling into his chest and falling peacefully asleep listening to his heartbeat.

* * *

The Death City Homicide team was restless. It wasn't uncommon for a homicide to occur, especially in such a big city, but due to the nature of the Academy's work, the death of a student wasn't usually ruled a homicide at all.

The lead detective read the open file on his desk, his head in his hands. He took in every letter, every spot of ink on the pages, making damn sure he didn't miss anything.

The girl had been found at the opening of an alley near the residential district of the city. She was absolutely torn to ribbons; even the oldest, most seasoned EMT on the scene was nauseated by the sight. There wasn't much blood to speak of, but samples of what was there were taken to make sure it was all hers. DNA testing, however, would take weeks, if not months. And that wasn't counting the analysis and review period.

A full autopsy was going to take God only knew how long, considering the condition of the girl; preliminary examination of the body—what was left of it—revealed bruised knuckles as well as various contusions and superficial lacerations on the arms—defensive wounds. So she had fought back against whoever (or _what_ ever, he thought superstitiously) had attacked her, suggesting, perhaps, that this was not a surprise attack. Maybe she had even known her attacker.

The detective's door creaked open. One of the supervisory agents came in and handed him a rather large file folder. The detective groaned internally.

"From the DWMA," the agent said. "Completed interview files of all students related to the victim."

"Thank you."

The agent nodded and left, and the detective opened up the folder. Judging by the neatly arranged paperclips, there were at least ten to fifteen files in here, all with photos, background info, transcripts, and side notes. He'd have to go through all these, decide who the most likely suspects were, investigate them further, question them again (which would probably involve lawyers; he groaned out loud at the thought), perform home and school searches, do more questioning...meanwhile the rest of the team had to analyze the scene, sort through circumstantial evidence, examine the body, and perform a plethora of tests that would probably take a few months altogether just to run. By rough estimate, he figured the entire case, including prosecution if they even got there, would take at the very least three years.

The detective rubbed his temple and reached for his half-empty coffee mug.

This was going to be a long night. And an even longer investigation, he thought bitterly.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

The winter was coming to an end. Out in the desert, the winter wasn't much of an event; it didn't get much lower than sixty degrees on average, and the lack of moisture meant it never snowed, so the spring coming in in Death City wasn't particularly notable.

But something made this particular day feel colder than normal. Perhaps it was because the sky was overcast, making the whole city look unusually dreary. Perhaps it was the wind rolling through the streets, leaves and loose papers and the occasional plastic bag bouncing along with it. Or, perhaps, it was the fact that it was four months since news broke of Kim Diehl's sudden and gruesome death, and it still hung above the heads of the town like the rolling storm clouds.

A sheet of paper came loose from the telephone post upon which it had been hastily taped only an hour or two prior. It fluttered on the wind for several meters before colliding with the wall of a shop. The wind briefly held it against the wall so the world could see the grayed-out photograph and, more importantly, the bolded text beneath:

 **MISSING:**

 **Jacqueline Dupré  
** _If you have any information as to Jacqueline's whereabouts, please contact the DCPD._

* * *

It was hard to believe it had been well over a year. Maka mulled over the thought as she pulled a brush through her hair—it was getting longer. The thought of cutting it whispered into her head, but her mind was already preoccupied. Over a year…with all the drama and destruction the vampire attack at DWMA had caused, the various resulting incidents, and the ongoing investigation into Kim's murder, it felt like it had been so much longer…hell, it felt more like ten years than one ( _one and a half, whatever the exact number is,_ she thought).

It seemed like they'd all aged accordingly, too, the blonde thought, pulling her hair into neat pigtails. She chuckled into the mirror. No matter how much she aged or how much she went through, she thought, she couldn't leave behind that aspect of her appearance.

"What's so funny?"

She didn't start at the voice. Soul had no reflection, but she knew he had entered no less. Whether that was because of a deep connection or subconsciously registering the sound of footsteps…oh well. Didn't matter. Turning to her resident vampire, she smiled and said, "Nothing. You ready to go?"

With a tired half-smirk, he gestured with his head for her to follow him, putting an arm around her as they exited the apartment. Soul's appearance was much more composed lately; he'd learned to care for himself without the aid of a mirror somehow—although he occasionally let Maka help for the sake of bonding.

Bonding…now that she thought about it, as Soul affectionately kissed her forehead before pulling up his hood and heading out the door, they hadn't gone on a mission in forever, either. While they had finally started falling back into their pre-"turning" lifestyles, Maka and Soul still hadn't been able to return to that one key bond. Soul, the only vampire of the group who was a weapon instead of a meister, was still not able to transform. She quietly theorized that he was unusually physically affectionate toward her to make up for it (not that she was complaining).

The motorcycle roared to life and they headed in the direction of the school. Maka wrapped her arms around Soul's waist and rested her head against his back, lost in thought, but for the most part, happy.

Today was like any other day, overly warm for Soul's protective hoodie and motorcycle gloves, but, what could he do? He parked outside the school and helped Maka down from the bike, as usual, and they walked up together, her leading and him slouching a few steps behind, as usual. Ideally, he would have his arm protectively around her, but he knew they weren't exactly in a position to be screaming " _hey, we're a thing_ " out to the world.

 _Matter of fact_ , he thought, they had barely been admitting that to themselves. He looked at her as they ascended the stairs. He was in love with her; he knew it, she knew it, and she reciprocated the feeling, but Maka's anxiety about them being found out prevented him from being able to show her as much as he'd like. No kissing outside of the apartment, in fact, no PDA at all. They had yet to go "all the way," but there it was his own nervousness that caused him to repress those urges. It had been some time now, and he was much, _much_ better at controlling himself, but he was aware of how young he was, and he still worried terribly about accidentally maiming her.

Still, he thought as they reached the doors and met up with the others, he was happy with her.

Nobody looked at the group as they passed by until they were gone. That's how it had been for some time now: never look at the Vampire Clan. They were considered elite. Both feared and respected. Respected out of fear. Stare at them and they'll stare back into your soul. At first, Soul had strutted the halls glaring at anyone who dared steal a glance at him or Maka—especially Maka—but soon realized how stupid and redundant it was. Maka could defend herself, and it wasn't like anybody was gonna attack him, so why was he being so defensive? Now he just stared straight ahead, Maka beside him and the rest of the group trailing behind.

* * *

The day went by without anything out of the ordinary happening. These days, Maka, in particular, was kind of relieved when a "boring" day went by; no drama, no surprises…just a day. She couldn't speak for the rest of the group, but she had a new appreciation for quiet routine. She did miss the excitement and adrenaline that came with a mission, for sure, but in day-to-day life, well, she had enough on her mind.

The smell of food wafted through the apartment. It was Soul's turn to cook, so Maka sat at the table, hair down and around her shoulders again, with a book open in front of her. Everything was normal.

Well, except for the part where she had read this same page four times now and still hadn't registered a word. Normally, a good book was her perfect escape; she'd be sucked in and just completely gone until someone snapped her out of it. But this time was different.

She kept glancing over at Soul, humming some catchy tune under his breath while he cooked, and her mind would wander all over again. Her stomach was in knots thinking about what she intended to talk to him about (and the feeling mixed in with the hunger pangs actually made her a little sick). He turned to grab the potholders off the wall; his hair had started to fall and hang lazily around his face, his white tee shirt raised just enough to show his stomach as he reached upward…it never failed to make her heart skip a little.

There was no denying it at this point: she was in love with him. Normally, perhaps, she would have just gone with the feeling, once she found the strength to admit it to herself. But the logical part of her couldn't forget Stein's original debriefing—about relations between vampires and humans being strictly forbidden and such. While it was all very vague and uncertain, and while she was normally one to jump right in and to hell with the consequences, ever since Kim's murder, Maka had been overly vigilant.

After all, what would have happened if they had come out with their relationship under ordinary circumstances? Surely there would have been some public outcry, and some reprimanding from Stein, who knows? But now that one of their classmates was dead, and Soul was the prime suspect? She shuddered to think of the consequences now.

But lately she had been thinking: there had to be some kind of solution. Some way out. Some way that they wouldn't have to hide their illicit romance—or better yet, a way to make it so that romance wasn't illicit at all.

"Is there some way you could maybe become human again?"

Soul stared blankly at his partner, hands still resting on the handles of the pot that he had just set on the table.

"Wh…what?"

It took Maka a moment to register that she had asked the question out loud. She flushed, mortified. She went with her initial impulse—she tried to backpedal.

"Sorry, I-I mean, it's just…i-it's nothing. Just ignore—"

"No," Soul put his hands on the table and leaned forward, "no, what was that about? Where did this come from?"

Maka stared into Soul's piercing gaze for a minute, classic deer in the headlights. After a few agonizing seconds, she closed her book and remembered to breathe.

"It was just…a thought I had," she sighed. "About our relationship, the whole…situation." She stood and begun pacing; Soul watched her, his brow furrowed with the same curious, concerned expression.

"I was thinking," she said slowly, "you know, it's just been really complicated, with me being human and you being…not…"

Soul began to undo the apron he wore as she spoke; she tried to ignore the deftness of his fingers undoing the knots. She took a deep breath.

"I was just…wondering if maybe there was a way it could be reversed. I dunno, Stein…"

Soul chuckled darkly as he hung up the apron. "Yeah, right. What's he gonna do, Maka, give me a soul?"

She stopped pacing, sighed and crossed her arms. "Yeah…you're right."

Soul cocked his head. He started towards her to give her a comforting embrace.

"What if we could turn me into a vampire then?"

He stopped. His reassuring half-smile faded. He felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Absolutely fucking not."

"What?" Maka looked up. "Why—"

"Well, for one thing, your DNA has literally been _altered_ so that you cannot be affected. Didn't you hear Stein?"

"But it's worth a shot, isn't it?!" she cried, spinning to face him, arms thrown to the sides.

" _Maka!_ " Terror and frustration gripped him and shattered his cool. Slamming a hand onto the counter, he yelled, "Don't you understand what you're asking of me?! Even if it _was_ possible, you are asking me to _fucking kill you!_ "

Maka stood stunned by her partner's outburst. She had intended to ask if there was even a chance, she thought, there had to be a _chance_.

Soul sighed. "Maka…think of it this way. You know what Russian roulette is?"

She made a shaky motion that she hoped resembled a nod—who didn't?

"It's like that. It's…it's playing Russian roulette. But with a pistol." Grabbing her arms, both for emphasis and to steady himself, as he was shaking, he continued, "Instead of loading a round, spinning the barrel, and firing, you're loading it, pulling the trigger, and praying that the gun just jams because that's the only way you're getting out alive."

There was a painful and awkward pause. Soul took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the waves of emotions suddenly tearing through his body. He felt some regret for the outburst, but the idea she was suggesting just scared the hell out of him.

"I swore to protect you, Maka. I can't lose you." His grip started to shake, and his voice cracked as he looked into her eyes and added, "I can't pull that trigger."

Maka sighed. She had desperately wanted to be right, for there to be some chance that it could work, but logically, she knew he was right. She felt guilt wash over her, but at the same time felt a kind of joy well up inside her chest.

He loved her.

Finally relaxing from her stunned state, Maka wrapped her arms around Soul and pressed her lips against his. He didn't hesitate to return the action, holding her as close as he could.

He really loved her.

As they prolonged the kiss, the pair's emotions began to flood their chests and cloud their minds. Soul's hands wandered to Maka's waist, barely registering his feet shuffling to push her against the kitchen wall. The shock of the impact separated their lips; Maka met her partner's eyes, catching her breath, and the fire she saw lighting up those scarlet eyes was unmistakable, even to her quasi-innocent self. As Soul took her lips again, he grabbed her hips and lifted her up, putting her legs around his waist; she felt a similar flame warm up the space between her legs, burning down any walls of inhibition she may have built up.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

The scythe meister's breath quickened; hitched when her partner broke his mouth from hers and moved it down her neck, moving her hair out of the way. Her head fell back against the wall, she tangled her fingers in his wild, silvery hair, tightened her legs around his waist. She felt him gently brush his fangs against her skin, and he groaned, pressing his erection into her. She whimpered, tucking her face into the crook of his neck and tugging on his hair as her brain went fuzzy.

Soul felt it—the tugging feeling in his stomach, the skipping of his heart in response to the beating of Maka's. The smell, the all-too-enticing warmth emanating from the artery throbbing under his lips…it excited him-in more ways than he was comfortable with-and it scared him at the same time. He was so scared to lose her, he didn't want to hurt her, but…he wanted her so _badly_.

Lust clouding his conscious thought, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. He kissed her hard, cutting off the shocked gasp that escaped her. Briefly, he worried that he had gone too far; those concerns were short-lived, as she responded with an excited moan and a passionate return of his kiss.

Soul put his hands back on Maka's waist to put her back down. As soon as her feet hit the floor, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it carelessly to the side so he could feel the soft skin beneath. It was like she was burning him everywhere he touched her; he couldn't keep his hands in any one place on her body for long. He had to feel all of her…

Maka tugged on Soul's tee-shirt. He pulled away just long enough to pull the fabric over his head, going back to kissing her before it had even hit the floor. He started on the hooks holding her bra on, but she pushed on his chest and shook her head. Soul immediately got nervous—was he going too far?

"Not here," she gasped. Then she giggled. "We have bedrooms for a reason," she said suggestively.

Soul grinned. "Well, alright," he said. The meister squealed when the vampire picked her up bridal-style—literally sweeping her off her feet—and carried her into the nearest bedroom: hers. He kicked the door shut, set her down, and pushed her back against the door, taking her lips again before she could say anything.

The feeling of her skin against his had always given him feelings he couldn't quite handle, of course mostly romantic ones, but now it drove him eighteen other kinds of crazy. He began to worry; his self-control was already shaky and rapidly vanishing. He pulled away.

"Maka…I just…I gotta know, are you sure—"

Maka shook her head and cut him off with a kiss. "Shut up, Soul." Looking into his eyes, she added, "I'm sure."

He didn't need any more reassurance. Their mouths reconnected once again, lips and tongues sliding over one another to a background of excited moans. Soul's hands wandered down her body, past the skirt she hadn't changed out of yet; _damn_ that thing drove him crazy. He slipped his hands underneath it, feeling the smooth skin beneath. He made his way up to the waistband of her underwear, which he swiftly slid downward, until they fell next to her ankles. A small squeal escaped Maka; Soul chuckled against her lips and continued taking in the warmth of her skin.

She stepped out of the panties and kicked them off to the side, tangling her hands in his hair. Already it was difficult for her to breathe; his lips on hers and the feeling of his hands exploring her body…god, she wanted him more than ever. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his fingers slide toward her inner thigh, and slowly make their way upward.

He pulled away from her, leaning his arm against the wall next to her head and his forehead against hers. They both gasped for breath, some anxiety making its way into the broiling cauldron of pure desire they felt. Soul looked into Maka's eyes as his fingers made contact with the heat between her legs. Her body reacted fiercely, her back arching as a gasp slipped from her lips. He released a slow breath, running his fingers back and forth along the slit; she was starting to get wet already. He found himself almost fascinated, testing different movements with his fingers and gauging her reactions to them.

He placed his lips against her neck again, taking in the scent of the hot blood beneath it. Her heart was pounding so hard he wouldn't have been surprised if the neighbors could hear it. He felt his fingertips brush up against her clit, and the sound she made started a throbbing beneath his sweatpants. He brought his lips up to her ear.

"Right there?" he whispered, accentuating his question by making small circles around it. She nodded vigorously, gripping his upper arms and panting. He smiled and pressed his lips to the side of her head, now experimenting with the sensitive little nub—rubbing it in gentle circles, rolling it between two fingers, occasionally moving away from it for a bit, only to come back and listen to her start to moan all over again.

Maka's legs were shaking and she could barely think straight. She wasn't sure exactly how much experience her partner had with this, but damn if he was as new to it as she was. Experimenting a little bit herself, she turned her head and bit his neck—gently to start with. Even the gentle grazing of her teeth made his muscles tighten and his breath catch. She bit him a little harder.

" _Jesus_ ," he gasped. She felt his lips against her ear again. "Hold onto me."

She did as she was told, gripping his shoulders. He knelt down, put his arms between her legs and under her thighs, and stood back up, holding onto her waist to keep her stable. She squealed and held onto his hair; his tongue made contact with her slit and she damn near forgot how to breathe.

Unfortunately, Maka's instinct to move her hips against his mouth caused her to lose her balance. Soul caught her and laughed.

"That good, huh?"

"Shut up," she laughed, her face turning bright red. He smirked and carried her to the bed, tossed her onto the mattress and started to crawl up between her legs. She went to remove her skirt, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Leave it on."

She felt herself flush again. Hovering over her, Soul took her head with both hands and kissed her again, slowly this time. She felt his hands move down her neck, her shoulders, and then around to her back—she lifted herself up a bit to make it easier for him. He struggled with the hooks of her bra for a bit. Finally, she giggled and undid it for him.

Bra tossed to the side, Soul had to stop and admire the sight before him: this…this gorgeous woman lying mostly naked beneath him, nothing but that short little skirt that had secretly driven him crazy for years. He had been in love with her for so long, maybe before he even realized it, and he'd dreamt about this moment more often than he cared to admit. But he never thought…dear God.

"Soul? Is everything okay?"

He could only nod. He had no words to describe the tightness in his chest, the…the _feelings_ she gave him.

"I just…God you're beautiful." It was all he could say. He took her lips again, and cupped one of her breasts. He'd always teased her about their small size, but really, they were perfect. And unbelievably soft.

He moved his mouth down her body, brushing his lips against the soft skin between her breasts. As he flicked his tongue over a nipple—God he loved when her breath caught like that—he moved his hand down her waist, slowly, tracing intricate patterns on her skin. He jumped down to her inner thigh, and slowly traced his way up underneath her skirt, until he reached those hot, wet folds again. He drew a nipple into his mouth, careful of his teeth, and gently inserted a finger into her.

She gasped and tightened up. This was a _whole_ new sensation, and she wasn't quite prepared for it. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Soul slid back down the bed and started to swirl his tongue around her clit. It successfully relaxed her, and she let out a loud moan.

Soul eased another finger into her, starting to move faster once she adjusted to the feeling. Her breathing became faster, her moans and whimpers louder, and just knowing that he could make her feel this good was starting to push him toward the edge.

"Soul…"

He looked up at her. She had lifted herself onto her forearms and was met his gaze with a tantalizing look. "Come back up here," she breathed.

He wasted no time in obeying. He hovered over her again; she took his head in her hands and pulled him down to kiss her. She met his tongue with her own, tasting herself on him.

He jumped and moaned as he felt her small hand brush over the bulge in his sweats. She stroked him through the fabric, sending shivers up his spine and tightening the coil in his stomach. She gently dragged her fingers along the skin just above his waistband. He shivered; it felt like electricity. She smiled against his lips and started to pull them down, along with his boxers. He removed them completely and tossed them to the side.

He started to feel a little nervous, in front of her on his knees; this was the first time he'd been completely naked in front of her, aside from a couple of accidental walk-ins in the past. All of that anxiety disappeared, though, as she grabbed onto his shaft. All he could think about now was how goddamn good it felt.

She started stroking him slowly, experimenting and somewhat marveling at the way it felt in her hand. She noted the way he tensed up and groaned when she stroked him over the head, ran her thumb over it when a bead of liquid appeared at the tip. Nervously, she leaned forward and took the tip into her mouth.

"Ohhhh God!" Soul cried, holding onto her hair.

She moved her head back and forth, keeping a grip on the base. It didn't exactly taste fantastic, but, she was pretty sure she didn't either, so she continued anyway, enjoying the way he couldn't seem to keep quiet.

"Holy shit, Maka," he gasped, "I am not gonna last long if you keep this up."

She took him out of her mouth and looked up at him, giving him a few good strokes before laying back and spreading her legs. He let out a shaky breath and positioned himself above her. He took hold of his erection and positioned it at her entrance.

"Maka, one more time. Are you sure?"

She nodded. He was just about to push forward when a thought occurred to him.

" _Shit_. Condom."

"Hang on, I think I've got one."

Soul gave her a surprised look as she reached into the drawer in her bedside table. Sure enough, she retrieved a little square packet.

As he put it on, he muttered "Didn't think you the type to carry these around."

She shrugged. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

They returned to their previous positions, hearts racing in anticipation.

"Hey," Soul said softly, "let me know if…if you need me to stop, alright? I don't want to hurt you."

She put her arms around his neck and nodded. He pressed his lips to hers, and pushed into her. They both moaned, their lips separating as they caught their breath.

"Are you okay?" Soul breathed. Maka could only nod. Still, he waited a moment before he started to move.

Maka leaned her head back, gripping Soul's arms for dear life. This was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Sure, she'd experimented with herself from time to time, but this…nothing had prepared her for the kind of heart-stopping ecstasy she was feeling now. In this moment, even without the soul connection she missed so much, she still felt closer to him than she'd ever been.

Soul started to move faster, knowing that he wasn't going to last as long as he'd like, no matter what he did. Still, that didn't matter so much right now; feeling her tighten around him, hearing her moan and whimper his name, feeling her hold on to his shoulders like she'd fall into the damn abyss if she let go…that was all that mattered right now.

He straightened his back and adjusted his partner's hips, and started to thrust into her again, leaning forward with one hand on the headboard for support. The new position allowed him to thrust all the way into her, and the feeling made her moan so loud it bordered on screaming. Maka gripped the bedsheets in her fists, almost wishing this feeling could last forever.

Soul couldn't hold on any longer; with a loud moan, he climaxed—the most powerful one he'd ever experienced. Tired out, he laid down on top of Maka, still inside her. She wrapped her arms around him as they both caught their breath.

"I love you," Soul breathed. She tightened her arms around him.

"I love you, too."


End file.
